Pittore in Africa

The structure of Pittore in Africa resembles a large painting as well as a screen or site of projection. The phrase written in neon light symbolizes the artist’s unrealized desire to travel to Africa. Merz identified to distance himself from systems of culture that were familiar to him. Many European artists of the 1970s and 1980s were interested in travel, philosophies, and worldviews beyond Eurocentric models that were familiar to them. By imagining or learning more about parts of the world that were unknown to him, Merz hoped to find new sources for creativity.