LONDON.- In a new series of paintings by Razvan Boar, a cast of characters are layered amongst geometric patterns of circles, diagonals and framing devices. Fading in and out of the abstract ground of the canvases are fantastical scenes from an imaginary park or reservation inhabited by holiday makers, animals and elements of the landscape.

The title of the show, STUMP LUNCH, suggests an ad hoc picnic spot – a place of quiet contemplation while walking through the forest. At the same time the tree stump doubles as the site of playful activity – a table, stage or treehouse. But the park which Boar imagines is far from innocent, as his drawing style might suggest; in the paintings there is a sense of genuine sexuality, as if witnessing a fetishistic display. Feet are a frequent theme as well as people who get naked.

In his new body of work for Ibid, Boar has recreated the environment of his studio inside the gallery, with images filling the space like sketches and drawings fill a studio. Boar’s work enters into the dialogue within contemporary painting without being tied down by its constructs. It also engages with more ubiquitous questions informing Surrealism, fantasy and the uncanny. By creating neoteric modes of expression, he subtly introduces a new dynamic into a frequently static arena. Boar’s canvases set forth a mythology that invites mystery and allegory into play.

Razvan Boar (b.1982, Lugoj) lives and works in Bucharest, Romania. Recent solo exhibitions include Inanimate objects obey my thought!, Galeria Nicodim, Bucharest, RO and Razvan Boar, Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles, US. Recent group shows include Razvan Boar, Paul Thek, Francis Alÿs, Robert Gober, Sigmar Polke, Ross, Chisholm, Ibid. London, UK, Defaced, BMoCA, Boulder, CO, US, Nicodim collection and Galeria Nicodim, Bucharest, RO, What is a bird? We simply don't know. at Galeria Nicodim Bucharest, RO, curated by Domenico de Chirico, Works on paper organizes by Hunted Projects in Tilburg, NL.