Two American artists showing in neighboring galleries in Los Angeles present unique views of color and of a fantastic world peopled by familiar, yet strange creatures.

In February 2013, the Pan African Film Festival, America’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival, celebrated its 21st anniversary, as it screened more than 150 films representing 34 countries: U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific, and Canada, with entries from Egypt, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania, Guadeloupe, South Africa, Kenya, and Brazil. The films include 23 documentaries, 13 short documentaries, 67 narrative features, and 51 narrative shorts.

Julienne Johnson’s latest body of work, “Touch Me, Touch You,” that opened at TAG Gallery on July 17, 2011, revolves around the idea of Connection, as the central theme: her direct connection to the canvas as she paints with her hands; the connection of the works to her life story (past, present, and future); and our connection to each other as part of a multi-cultural, global community, in a world where casual interactions made possible by technology impart a false sense of connection.