This Art Works! Kissing across borders for queer rights and a very long walk against climate change

In this episode of This Art Works!, The Head wishes he could get outdoors into the sun — and gets his wish granted with help from some artworks! First, artist Pablo Muñoz kisses his boyfriend across the border and goes viral with his message about queer migrant rights. Next, you can learn how to get your own cause out in the world by making DIY Protest Signs with Paddy Leung. Finally, Elle and Tamira from Public Studio bring the Head along on a really really really long walk through the Bruce Trail to investigate capitalism and climate change.

There are artists who make pretty pictures to hang on your mantle. This Art Works! is not about those artists. A new original series for CBC Arts, This Art Works! is a subversively surreal showcase of provocative projects by Canadian artists tackling today's most pressing and controversial issues. Using a variety of artistic methods (ball-gags, street signs, blanket forts, and menstrual blood just to name a few), the artists let their imaginations run wild to make art work for social change. With a supporting cast of comedians, This Art Works! fuses the wholesomeness of children's television with an absurdist comedic bent, creating a bizarre world unlike any other.

Created by art collective Madeleine Co. and produced in partnership with OCAD University, This Art Works! is the gleeful mix of '90s nostalgia, comedy, and contemporary art practice you didn't know you needed. Watch the first five episodes online now!