LOV Public Art
in situ:
Union Square Park,
NYC, Manhattan
artist:
Pasha Radetzki
text:
Afrodet Zuri
LOV installation
Love–Ego=LOV is a monumental public art installation and interactive cultural space by sculptor and performance artist Pasha Radetzki, presented in the center lawn of Union Square Park. Commissioned with support from lov.foundation, the project explores themes central to the foundation’s mission: egoless love, collective consciousness, and the transformative power of artistic expression in public life.
The centerpiece of the work is a large-scale sculpture made from brightly colored plywood, spelling out the word “LOV” in interlocked, human-scale letters. The absent “E”—representing the ego—is a conscious omission. Audiences are invited to step into the role of the missing letter, enacting an “E” pose beside the sculpture to complete the word “LOVE.” This simple gesture becomes a participatory reflection on self, otherness, and unity—turning viewers into co-creators.
Love–Ego=LOV offers a space for collective contemplation and civic imagination.
Accompanying the sculpture is Three Sisters–Americas, a miniature garden inspired by Abya Yala, a term in the Kuna language that refers to the Americas as a single living entity. The garden features native plants from across the continents of Central, North and South Americas and serves as both a living artwork and a stage for seasonal performances that weave together ecology, ritual, and contemporary art.
Love–Ego=LOV offers a space for collective contemplation and civic imagination. It invites park-goers—New Yorkers and visitors alike—to reconsider how love, when freed from ego, can act as a unifying force across cultural, political, and ecological divides.
Through Love–Ego=LOV, the lov.foundation continues its commitment to supporting artists who activate public space with work that bridges disciplines and invites meaningful human connection.