MEP Studio presents the exhibition Black Bricolage by Johny Pitts

In the second part of the Season, from 10 April to 24 May 2026, MEP Studio welcomes the artist Johny Pitts.

Bringing together twenty years of visual research devoted to the African diaspora in Europe and around the world, Johny Pitts presents his project Black Bricolage in the MEP Studio. Photographs, archives, personal documents, and testimonies are interwoven through plays of reflection, blur, and assemblage, offering a subtle and nuanced representation of contemporary Afro-descendant experiences.

Photographer and writer Johny Pitts has developed an independent practice for over twenty years, grounded in long-form research and human encounter.In the wake of the global financial crash, in the early 2010s, he embarked on a five-month journey across Europe, armed with several notebooks and a camera. This project grew from a necessity both intimate and political: to understand what it means to be Black in Europe, beyond clichés, identity assignations and dominant narratives. The discovery of the word Afropean came as a revelation, and served as a portal rather than a destination.

The Artist

Robin Maddock, Johny Pitts © Robin Maddock

Johny Pitts

A writer, filmmaker, photographer, and journalist, Johny Pitts (born in 1987; lives and works in London) has developed a major body of work around Afropean identity, a concept describing the experience of being Black and European. From London to Lisbon, via Brussels and Berlin, he encounters Afrodescendant communities and brings back images of formal and documentary power.

The recipient of several distinctions, including the Decibel Penguin Prize and the ENAR (European Network Against Racism) Award, he has presented solo exhibitions at The Photographers’ Gallery in  London in 2023 and at Foam in Amsterdam in 2020. His work is also part of the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Johny Pitts, Rye Lane, 2021 © Johny Pitts

Johny Pitts, Baker Street, Londres, 2010 © Johny Pitts

Johny Pitts, African Development, Finsbury Park, 2010 © Johny Pitts

Johny Pitts, A Portable Paradise, Clichy-sous-Bois, 2010 © Johny Pitts

Partners

This exhibition is organised with the support of

and in collaboration with

Cover Image:  Johny Pitts, Tunmise, 2021 © Johny Pitts