Motonaga Sadamasa's "Work (Water)" at the Guggenheim Museum Rotunda

A new exhibition called "Gutai: Splendid Playground" recently opened at the Guggenheim Museum. The exhibition features gutai art. "Gutai" means concreteness in Japanese. In gutai art, the "human spirit and matter shake hands with each other, while keeping their distance." Part of the exhibit is Motonaga Sadamasa’s "Work (Water)" (1956) installation consisting of long, transparent plastic tubes filled with colored water suspended across the rotunda of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed museum. Motonaga Sadamasa was born in Japan in 1922. He was a painter and became part of the Gutai art movement. His paintings were characterized by the use of original technique of flowing colors on the canvas and are full of dynamic sense of life. In addition, Motonaga also created "performance art" using smoke, made objects of natural stones, and ‘water’ works. Such unique activities set him apart as a representative member of the “Gutai” group not only in Japan but also internationally. He has also lived in New York where he continued painting using air brush technique and device of spray. His works came to be characterized by the vivid colors and abstract forms with a humorous touch.The exhibit continues through May 8, 2013.

The African-American "Naked Cowboy"

The African-American "Naked Cowboy" shown above busking in Times Square is one of the franchisees of Robert John Burck, the original Naked Cowboy. Robert John Burck from Cincinnati, Ohio is an American busker whose patch is in Times Square. He wears only cowboy boots, a hat, and underwear, with a guitar strategically placed to give the illusion of nudity. He has become a fixture in Times Square and has made numerous media appearances. Burck owns the trademark to his Naked Cowboy character and operates it as a franchise. 

Frederick Douglass Statue in Harlem

This is the statue of abolitionist, statesman and orator, Frederick Douglass located at the northwest corner of Central Park in Harlem. The 8-foot bronze statue is surrounded by a fountain memorial that is emblazoned with quotations and located a traffic circle at the corner of 110th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard — known as the Gateway to Harlem.

“From Frederick Douglass, we learned that we have the right to be free,” said Kenneth Morris, president of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, the great-great-great-grandson of Douglass. Douglass is one of the few African Americans to be memorialized in a work of public art in the city.

New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York is one of the largest centrally-organized global fashion event worldwide. Each season it brings over 100,000 industry insiders from around the world, including buyers, retailers, celebrities, VIPs and members of the regional, national and international press, to the Lincoln Center venue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to the exclusive, invitation-only shows. The shows for the Fall 2013 collections concluded yesterday.

Empire State Building Tower Valentine's Day Lighting

In honor of Valentine's Day, the tower of the Empire State Building is lit in red, pink and white. Earlier today, three lucky couples  celebrated Valentine's Day weddings at the Empire State Building. The couples were chosen from among those who submitted their love stories to the landmark skyscraper's Facebook page.

Heartwalk: Heart-Shaped Art Installation Made Of Boardwalk Planks Salvaged After Hurricane Sandy

Heartwalk is a new heart-shaped public art installation made of boardwalk planks salvaged after Hurricane Sandy. The LED-laced pavilion installed in Duffy Square (in the heart of Times Square) was conceptualized and designed by Brooklyn-based design firm Situ Studio, winner of this year’s annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design. The artwork was inspired by the “collective experience of Hurricane Sandy and the love that binds people together during trying times.” Each year, the Times Square Alliance invites architecture and design firms to submit proposals for a romantic public art installation celebrating Valentine’s Day in Times Square. Heartwalk was unveiled yesterday, and will remain on view until March 10, 2013.