Johny Pitts: Black Bricolage
In the second part of its 2026 programme, MEP Studio will present Black Bricolage, a solo exhibition by British artist Johny Pitts.
Reflecting on the term “Afropean,” Pitts writes:
“When I first encountered it, I felt encouraged to think of myself as whole and unhyphenated. It opened up a space where Blackness actively contributes to shaping European identity. It suggested the possibility of existing across multiple cultural dimensions—Africa and Europe, the Global South and the West—without being reduced to fragments or labels.”
Black Bricolage will bring together photographs, notebooks, and archival materials spanning two decades (2004–2024). The exhibition will trace Pitts’s journeys across cities such as Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Stockholm, Moscow, Lisbon, Rome, Marseille, and Saint-Paul-de-Vence, alongside more recent work produced in Freetown, Salvador da Bahia, and the American Deep South.
Through this body of work, Pitts will highlight Afro-European and diasporic experiences that are often overlooked or misrepresented. His approach rejects both nostalgia and stereotype, focusing instead on everyday life: informal encounters, cafés, community spaces, domestic environments, and moments of exchange.
Working through proximity and dialogue, Pitts develops relationships with workers, artists, activists, educators, and students. His images emerge from these encounters, forming a constellation of perspectives rather than a single narrative.
At the same time, his work engages with the historical layers embedded in each location. Past and present intersect, revealing how colonial histories continue to shape contemporary realities. Rather than offering a totalising view, Black Bricolage will unfold as a collection of fragments, assembled through movement, attention, and lived experience.
About the Author
Johny Pitts (born 1987) is a writer, photographer, filmmaker, and journalist based in London. His work explores the concept of “Afropean” identity, investigating what it means to be both Black and European today.
He has travelled extensively across Europe—from London to Lisbon, via Brussels and Berlin—documenting Afro-descendant communities and producing a body of work that combines documentary depth with a strong visual language.
His work has received several distinctions, including the Decibel Penguin Prize and an award from the European Network Against Racism. He has exhibited internationally, with solo shows at The Photographers’ Gallery (London, 2023) and Foam (Amsterdam, 2020).
His work is held in major public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Fotomuseum Den Haag. He is represented by Grimm Gallery, with spaces in Amsterdam, London, and New York.
Johny Pitts: Black Bricolage
10 April – 24 May 2026
MEP Studio – Paris – France
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