If memory meets imagination halfway for Adam De Boer, that’s also where past meets present. His otherworldly paintings seem to belong to neither. Inspired by his Southern California upbringing, De Boer stages scenes that are not quite contemporary, as though they’ve fermented a little after being baked under the hot Riverside, Calif., sun. Goat Slaughter, for example, presents an ancient ritual, both for symbolism and survival, enacted in a present-day dingy basement, with a washer, dryer, and fridge in the background. Du-Graff Wedding (which feels rather unfinished) depicts an elaborate, mysterious wedding procession, with participants emerging from a red-carpeted limo to a middle-class neighborhood, wearing vaguely traditional ethnic attire. Other portraits—of De Boer’s sister, her boyfriend, their dog, and a friend, Juan—are reminiscent of early Eric Fischl paintings in their suburban quietude and pensiveness. THE EXHIBITION IS ON VIEW FROM 2 P.M. TO 7 P.M. WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY TO FEB. 21 AT THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ARTS CENTER, 2438 18TH ST. NW. FREE. (202) 462-7833.