Union Square debuts public art program with sculpture from Manhattan-based artist Pasha Radetzki

The Union Square Partnership and NYC Parks bring art to Union Square with a new outdoor art program “Unity On Union Square.”

“Unity On Union Square: Love-Ego=LOV” debuts as the first public artwork of the program from artist Pasha Radetzki.

The interactive sculpture sits on Union Square Park’s center lawn as uppercase letters: a bright green L, a vivid yellow O, and a hot pink V sit proudly.

Visitors are then enticed to shape their body in the letter E in order to complete the word “Love”.

A garden performance, “Three Sisters-Americas,” accompanied the inauguration of the sculpture on May 5. The following performance will be on June 20. Additionally, special public programming will be expected to be held on Thursdays for the months of June and July.

The Union Square art installation “is inspired by the notions of egoless love, unity, freedom and the interdependence of human lives placed within the context of contemporary volatile social and ecological conditions,” reads the press release.

Pasha Radetzki has been working in Manhattan since 1997. Throughout the years his art has been the recipient of multiple awards like the Future Art Award from Mozaik Philanthropy in Los Angeles in 2022, the CodaWorx Award in 2014 and the ArtsLink Award in New York in 2022.

Radetzki is also a proud recipient of the Creative Engagement grant from Lower Manhattan Cultural Council for his public art performance series in 2023.

The list of accomplishments runs deep with his works and solo exhibitions showcased throughout the U.S. and across the globe.

The complete series of “Unity On Union Square: Love-EGO=LOV” will be presented as a solo exhibition in the West Village art studio Proyectos Raul Zamudio in July of this year.

“This project represents my journey as an artist and a first-generation American to find connection and collaboration in my new home,” said “Unity On Union Square: LOV-Ego=LOV” artist in a press release.

The sculpture is a testament to the success of a mission to bring works of art to the public to an area that has a history of being a hub for the gathering of community in public spaces.

“We look forward to welcoming park-goers and celebrating ‘Unity On Union Square: Love-Ego=LOV’ as the neighborhood’s newest immersive art experience this season,” said Julie Stein, executive director of Union Square Partnership in a press release.

“Unity On Union Square: Love-Ego=LOV” was possible through the support from reState , the New York Foundation for the Arts, Radetzki studiO, Art Yard LLC and the Creative Engagement Grant.

The art installation will be on exhibition for the following six months.