Artists

Francesco Igory Deiana

Press release

Francesco Igory Deiana (b. 1986, Milan, lives and works in New York) presents his fifth solo exhibition WAYWARD, with Ruttkowski;68 in Düsseldorf. The works on view emerge from a journey. Joining a charity rally through West Africa toward Guinea-Bissau, Deiana traveled with his brother carrying the intention of donating a car through the Tavolo 8 organization. On this journey, Francesco painted the car using enamel paints, incorporating his own iconography, style, and references, with some inspiration drawn from the Martini Lancia race cars. The car – named WAYWARD – was ultimately donated to a local hospital, where it remains in active use as a transport vehicle today. It became both artistic project and companion, witnessing an intense passage through shifting landscapes, climates, and rhythms. The exhibition focuses on the experiences, observations, and transformations gathered along the way. The paintings carry traces of this movement. Their palette draws from the colors of West Africa: saturated blues, dusty reds, luminous yellows, and subtle transitions that evoke changing light seen through windows, windscreens, and horizons. Motifs reappear like fragments of memory – a falcon in flight, trees, birds, and geometric window forms reminiscent of mid-century aircraft. Across the paintings, Deiana continues his exploration of the relationship between abstraction and figuration, spontaneity and structure. Forms are reduced to their essentials, gaining a renewed clarity while retaining a sense of movement and openness. Large sculptural birds and simplified silhouettes inhabit the exhibition as autonomous bodies, while remaining connected through a shared visual language. Together, the works reflect a process of looking closely, moving slowly, and allowing experience to settle into form. Opening reception 26/06/2026 6–8 pm