NEW YORK – There’s always an art exhibit in Doris C. Freedman Plaza at the Fifth Avenue and 60th Street entrance to Central Park, but they aren’t always as eye-catching as the current display by Paola Pivi.

“How I roll” is a twin-engine airplane supported by vertical steel posts at the wing tips. Its slow roll mesmerizes viewers. Set against the backdrop of the park from one angle and the plaza from another, the six-seater spinning end-for-end, at times looks like it’s making a beeline for the ground, and at other points is flying upside down.

Pivi is known for her ability to challenge perceptions, and this sculpture succeeds at bringing an unexpected element to an already crazy location. The sculpture is part of a series Pivi has been working on that makes large machinery move in unusual, unintended ways.

The Italian-born artist who lives and works in Anchorage, Alaska, has exhibited widely across the world and been displayed in the Tate Modern, but this is her first public art project in the United States funded by the Public Art Fund. The six-seat plane will be gently circling its axis 24 hours a day through Aug. 26.

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