Pacy, who is based in the Burundian city of Bujumbura, executed this painting in 2025 as one of 20 to be exhibited for his one-man show – “Within & Without: Painting Burundi” – at Kampala’s Weganda Gallery. The picture is classic Pacy, whose visual language is marked by scratched line, a vibrant explosion of color, and rich texture. The composition is faithful to the reality of most Burundians, who, like other Africans elsewhere, can come together to wash their dirty linen. In Pacy’s hands, however, the painting becomes a conceptual masterpiece, greater than the sum of its parts, more mysterious than the simple activity it appears to express.
