Micha?l Borremans is born in 1963 in Geraardsbergen, Belgium. He lives and works in Ghent. The figures in Borremans' paintings are preoccupied with a meticulous task. The painter has caught the individuals in action, totally committed and concentrated. However, any specificity of the character's engagement and any notion of concrete time and place are abolished. The personages are represented in a sphere of neutrality. This contextual vagueness triggers a sphere of mysteriousness. nThe painter applies dark colours, mainly brown and ochre, however used in a rich variety of hues. This painterly device enhances the shadowy and obscure setting. nThe drawings by Borremans comment humorously on middle-class etiquette and restraint. They keep the middle course between mild irony and tragedy. Fear and uncertainty blends with satire and feigned naivet?. Because of the scale differences within one work, the drawings appear as sketches for theatrical decors or environmental interventions. Whether or not the drawings are two-dimensional models, is undetermined. Again, Borremans leaves the question unanswered. nnExhibition schedule: S.M.A.K., Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Gent, February 5 - April 10, 2005 ? Parasol Unit, London, May 3 - June 30, 2005 ? The Royal Hibernian Academy, Gallagher Gallery, Dublin, July 14 - August 28, 2005