Arts & Entertainment

Día de los Muertos has been adapted for centuries from its pre-colonial roots to the popular depictions in mass media today. Inspired by rich Oaxacan traditions, it was brought to East Los Angeles in the 1970s as a way to enrich and reclaim Chicano identity through a small celebration at Self Help Graphics and Art. Since then, the celebration has grown in proportions with renditions enacted in communities all around the world.

Manila, a giant Asian metropolis with traffic-laden roads, towering skyscrapers and sprawling informal settlements, has become a dangerous place. Rodrigo Duterte was elected president of the Philippines in June 2016, vowing to crack down on the drug trade. Since then, extrajudicial killings have led to the deaths of over 3500 people by vigilantes; his approach is reminiscent of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled from 1965 to 1986.

"Visions" features music videos from Spanish garage rockers The Parrots, Cuban jazz singer Daymé Arocena, L.A. singer Nite Jewel, New Zealand-based rapper Raiza Biza, Chilean techno artist Sanfuentes, and Japanese artist Chihei Hatakeyama.

Reverence and Decadence features music videos from Dutch producer Bokoesam, US band Almas Fronterizas, Swiss group Vendredi sur Mer, Brazilian group francisco, el hombre, Japanese rocker Gotch, and NY musician Frankie Rose.

Gospel music would not be what it is today if not for the impact left by Los Angeles in the late '60s and early '70s, a time defined by political movements across the country. Artists like James Cleveland and Aretha Franklin captured live recordings of the church experience of South Central and the voices and sentiment of the people coming together to give birth to a new gospel sound and the election of L.A.’ s first black mayor, Tom Bradley.

"Synesthetics" features music videos from Japanese indie band Mitsume, German group Lali Puna, French artist Magic Island, Cuban rapper el tipo este, Congolese group Konono No. 1, Argentine singer Juana Molina, and US artist Visible Cloaks.

Mexico City, a massive, sprawling metropolis and home to over 21 million inhabitants, is the capital of a country that has become notorious for drug-­‐related violence. The ‘drug war’ as it is widely known, officially launched in 2006, had initially the support of communities who were tired of gun battles, execution-­style murders and police corruption.

City Streets features music videos from French producer/director duo The Blaze, NY singer Yaeji, South African artist Petite Noir, Japanese polymath Cornelius, US musician Frank Maston, and Spanish singer Rosalía.

The charming, unusual and at times polarizing Jeffrey Deitch left Los Angeles in 2013 after a tumultuous run as the director of MOCA ending in his resignation. He makes his return with a new gallery opening with the first LA exhibit of renowned Chinese artist and activist, Ai Weiwei. A behind-the-scenes look at the contemporary art world through the eyes of a legendary art dealer and curator.

Beirut is a battle-­scarred city that has survived military invasions and civil war. Currently it struggles with a Muslim and Christian divide, the influx of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and has Isis looming over their country’s northern border. Still, Beirut is considered the cultural hub of the Middle East. Reverberating with the sounds of musicians, performers and activists as well as hosting one of the best nightlife scenes in the world, Beirut is an enigma. 

"Until Later" features music videos from Mali’s Songhoy Blues, New Zealand artist Nadia Reid, Colombia's Meridian Brothers, Lebanese artist Yasmine Hamda, South Africa's DJ Lag, and Austrian group Radian.

Kenya is well known internationally for its sandy beaches and wide‐open savannahs that attract foreign tourists every year. But behind the picture perfect postcard hides a bleak reality.

Music includes NYC's Combo Chimbita, Portugal's PONGO, Guatemala's Rebeca Lane, OKZharp & Manthe Ribane from South Africa, British producer Leon Vynehall and Lebanon's Yasmine Hamdan.

From the iconic typeface of “The Godfather” book cover to Herman Miller’s Noguchi table, the influence of Japanese American artists and designers in postwar American art and design is unparalleled. While this second generation of Japanese American artists have been celebrated in various publications and exhibitions with their iconic work, less-discussed is how the World War II incarceration — a period of intense discrimination and hardship — has also had a powerful effect on the lives of artists such as Ruth Asawa, George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, S. Neil Fujita and Gyo Obata.

In a city on the divide between Russia and Europe, the art of protest stands against war and corruption. Kiev has a government that ignores its citizens and responds to demonstrators with violent measures. Now, artists and activists are spearheading the fight to claim Ukrainian cultural identity. 

Rhythmic Rituals features music videos from L.A. violinist and vocalist Sudan Archives, Puerto Rico-based artist ÌFÉ, Mexico City sextet La ReDaDa, Swedish band Junip, visionary Brazilian musician Arto Lindsay and U.S.-based soul man Doug Hream Blunt.

Indonesia, where the national motto is “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” or “Unity in Diversity,” is home to both the world’s largest Muslim majority as well as six additional religions. The country has had a difficult history under the 32-­year dictatorship of General Suharto whose repressive and corrupt militarized rule led to the deaths of hundred thousand.

Music in this episode includes El Haru Kuroi, Spanish artist Ibon Errazkin, Japanese musician Cornelius, DJ Raff from Chile, Niger’s Bombino and Kata from Russia.

"Artbound" looks at the dinnerware of Heath Ceramics and a design that has stood the test of time since the company began in the late 1940’s. Through the writings of Edith Heath, the founder and designer of Heath Ceramics and voiced by renowned chef Nancy Silverton, this episode explores the groundbreaking work of a woman who created a classic of American design.

Amid the chaos and confusion from Greece's financial meltdown, artists from all corners of Athens are gathering to protect Athenian culture through the power of their art. In this episode, four artists show how they are fighting to counteract the bleak outlook of their urban landscape: iNO, the city's only incognito graffiti artist; photographer Panagiotis Maidis; electro-pop group Kid Flicks formed by Nickos Dervisis; and film and television producer Theo Simantirakis. 

Open Scope features music videos from Norwegian/Brazilian singer Charlotte Dos Santos, Australian outsider artist Kirin J Callinan, Peruvian pop singer ANIA, L.A.-based musician Ariel Pink, Russian artist Anton Kubikov, and Japanese producer Sugai Ken.

Chicago is a city that ranks as one of the richest and most productive in the United States, yet it has a deeply segregated urban landscape and a high murder rate. In its south and west sides, impoverished housing blocks sit beside affluent homes, universities and city stadiums. The year 2016 was the city’s most violent in over two decades with a record of 762 homicides, an increase of 58 percent since 2015.

This episode highlights Little Jesus, Norwegian artist Sassy 009, French-Israeli group Acid Arab, Los Punsetes from Spain, New Zealand's Lord Echo, Kemialliset Ystävät from Finland and Tune-Yards.