The Power of Choice: Is Love

In “The Power of Choice: Is Love,” we invite the audience to reflect on the profound impact of individual choices in shaping our paths and the world around us. Through his work, artist Henri Abraham Univers offers us a clarion call to embrace truth, love, embody light, and contribute to the collective story of human redemption and divine connection. During a recent trip to London, I visited Henri’s studio. In a dimly lit attic, surrounded by both stretched and unstretched canvases scattered across the floor, a neon sign shone brightly on a star and motif-filled black wall: “Time is Love.” At the beginning of this year, from my living room in Lagos, Nigeria, I called him. The exhibition had been postponed by over a year due to various providential delays. During this period, I experienced an epiphany. Through a year of self-realizations, introspection, divine teachings, personal growth, and an existential quest to understand the meaning of love, I received a purposeful commandment and revelation: “To be a light in the midst of darkness.”

This understanding unfolded gradually. I realized that life is not governed by chance or coincidence but by purpose. Every word, action, thought, and choice contributes to our journey toward a predestined path or diverts us from it. We are all interconnected, finding meaning even in pain and suffering. Just as the world was created in a state of journeying towards goodness, so too is our individual purpose enroute to eternal perfection. Freewill grants us choices: to hope, to believe, to trust, and to know goodness and love—or to remake these principles in the dark within our own fallen image.

Henri’s work is characterized by individual subjects set against his signature star-filled backdrops on black backgrounds, symbolizing the universe and the cosmos. Every star is painstakingly hand-drawn, representing personal revelations about life and his message. This meticulous process underscores his emphasis on human dignity. His canvases, dominated by dark colors, are punctuated by bursts of brightness and light, highlighting moments of revelation and insight.

As a French and Burkinabe African artist, Henri embodies the love across races, a testament to our collective humanity. His work emphasize sour shared human dignity and collective inheritance as designed by an eternally true, good, and loving creator. This multicultural background is integral tohis art, reminding us that our intertwined identities enrich the tapestry of human existence. We are all protagonists and observers of stories. Our collective narratives contribute to the grand story of human redemption, our failures are the cause and reflection of the existential “problem of suffering.” Henri’s work, through this lens, has consistently conveyed deep pronouncements on life. His canvases repeatedly feature phrases like “Time is Money” crossed out, 1+1=1 (the equation to the universe), and “Time is Love.”

“The Power of Choice: Is Love” delves into the profound significance of choice in our lives, highlighting the importance of choosing light and goodness each day. Through this series of paintings, Henri focuses on the guiding force of guardian angels, agents of a loving overseer who transcends time and urges us to align with divine providence. This journey toward ultimate good and ultimate love requires conscious daily action and surrender, rejecting darkness and striving for light

As I wrote this statement, I am reminded of the biblical verse, “I was blind but now I see,” alluding to the revelation and clarity that comes from choosing stillness, choosing to listen to an imposing and objective truth within the overwhelming confusion and noise of life’s distractions. This clarity occurs solely at the crossroads where the will chooses to die to itself, offering its blindness up to the ultimate essence of purifying love. The exhibition reiterates the fundamental commandment: “There is no commandment greater than to love your neighbor.” This divine directive calls us to extend love and compassion to one another, fostering a world illuminated by the light of love. Henri’s works, featuring guardian angels, serve as beacons, guiding us through our struggles and reminding us of the constant, loving Presence that oversees our journey. This Presence encourages us to make choices that align with goodness and divine love, ultimately leading us toward a higher purpose and fulfillment.

DOLLY KOLA -BALOGUN
FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, RETROAFRICA