Aryo Toh Djojo told me in our Spring 2022 quarterly when I asked him about the cinematic quality to his work, "since LA is one of the capitals of the entertainment world, maybe growing up here has something to do with it. I think a big part of how we relate to UFOs comes from all the sci-fi movies about them. So I’m also interested in how it relates to our culture. " For his new solo show, This Too Shall Pass, on view now at Sow & Tailor in LA, Djojo has enveloped himself in UFOs, creating a sense of something other in each canvas while simultaneously creating city and landscapes of southern California that appear misty and hazy, a memory in the form of painting. 

The airbrush acrylic works are, what the gallery notes, about "Sunset. Traffic. Sex." Those hallmarks are mixed with a surrealism in the form of little aliens and UFOs that keep appearing in the backdrop of each work. The characters almost appear to be in a not so distant future, where we all believe in UFOs and aliens amongst us and they become part of our daily reality. That the desert meets urban environment seems to fit naturally to Djojo's vision, it's a dash of sci-fi that makes the works have a natural sense of quiet and introspection. In a world that is once again operating at rapid speed, Djojo is slowing us down, giving us a pause and sense of mystery. —Evan Pricco