Love You Regardless

LORD OHENE OKYERE-BOUR (B. 1990)  

Love You Regardless  

signed and dated 'Ohene Lord 20' (lower right)  

oil pastels and acrylic on canvas  

71 1/4 x 79 1/2 inches (181 x 201.9 cm)  

Executed in 2021.

PROVENANCE:  

Gallery 1957, Accra  

Acquired from the above by the present owner

NOTES:  

Born in 1990 in Kumasi, Ghana, Lord Ohene Okyere-Bour is a contemporary painter whose emotionally resonant figurative works explore themes of intimacy, identity, vulnerability, and Black self-representation. A graduate of the Ghanatta College of Art and Design in Accra, Okyere-Bour belongs to a generation of Ghanaian artists redefining contemporary portraiture through psychologically charged depictions of everyday life and human connection. His paintings frequently center solitary figures or close interpersonal exchanges rendered in luminous palettes and expressive gestures, creating compositions that balance tenderness with quiet monumentality. Through his nuanced treatment of color, posture, and surface, the artist foregrounds emotional presence and interiority within contemporary Black figuration.

Executed in 2021, Love You Regardless exemplifies Okyere-Bour’s intimate and deeply human approach to painting. Created in oil pastel and acrylic on canvas, the work envelops the viewer within a richly layered composition where gesture and color become vehicles for emotional depth. The title conveys unconditional affirmation and emotional steadfastness, framing the work as a meditation on devotion, acceptance, and resilience. Through flattened perspectives and expressive mark-making, Okyere-Bour constructs a visual language that prioritizes psychological atmosphere over strict naturalism.

The artist’s handling of oil pastel introduces a tactile immediacy to the painted surface, allowing contours and gestures to retain an almost diaristic quality. Figures emerge through layered fields of saturated color that simultaneously flatten and energize the composition, heightening the emotional intensity of the scene. Like much of Okyere-Bour’s practice, Love You Regardless resists spectacle in favor of introspection, offering instead a quiet yet powerful reflection on tenderness and human connection. The monumental scale of the canvas further amplifies the work’s immersive presence, transforming a private emotional exchange into something universal and deeply affecting.