ANTONIO PALOMO: TAKEN FROM EARTH

June 6 through November 8, 2026

Opening Reception

Saturday, June 6

7 – 10PM

Taken From EARTH reflects on the rocket’s double meaning as one of humanity’s most powerful inventions. As a child, the artist saw rockets as symbols of wonder, discovery, and the desire to reach beyond the known world. Over time, that awe became complicated by the misuse and growing normalization of rockets and related technologies as instruments of destruction.

This installation brings together oversized collaged figures of a family and their dog with monumental rocket forms to examine the relationship between human life and human invention. The figures are composed of imagery drawn from everyday interests, suggesting that technology is never separate from us: it is shaped by our values, desires, fears, and choices.

Here, the rocket stands as both promise and warning. It can carry us beyond Earth toward exploration and imagination, but it can also pull us away from compassion and conscience through war and violence. The larger rockets evoke humanity’s reach toward an imagined future, while the smaller rockets point to the present-day reality of how similar technologies are so often used.

At its core, the work asks viewers to consider what we are beginning to accept as normal. It is not a rejection of progress, but a call to reflect on what is lost when tools meant to expand human possibility are used in ways that diminish our humanity.

As far as we know, life began here on Earth. As we look toward the Moon, Mars, and beyond, we are also reminded how fragile, and rare, life may be in the vastness of the cosmos. The farther we investigate space, the more we confront the possibility that survival beyond Earth may require profound changes in how we live, what we value, and even what we become.

The space probe Voyager 1 has crossed beyond the heliosphere; we have learned to sequence DNA; and we continue to deepen our understanding of the quantum realm. These milestones underscore the scale of human potential. The artist’s hope is that the same intelligence—human and artificial—that enables us to dream beyond this world can also help us mature into beings capable of protecting life rather than destroying it: not only our own species, but all Earth-bound life. In that sense, Taken From EARTH is both a reflection and a warning: as we prepare to send humans to worlds beyond our own, we must also ask whether we are leaving behind the humanity that gives that journey meaning.

Humanity’s future is bright—if we choose it.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Antonio Palomo, also known as AG (All Good), was born in Usulután, El Salvador and currently resides in Orange County, CA. He began drawing in third grade and discovered his love for art in junior high school under the guidance of a dedicated art teacher who introduced him to art history, design, and foundational visual principles. Her influence helped shape his early creative path, culminating in a National Philanthropist Art Poster Contest win and the display of his work at Los Angeles City Hall. After stepping away from art for many years, Palomo returned to his practice in 2019 following the death of his father. That loss became a moment of reawakening in both his life and creative work. Working across acrylics, oils, airbrush, and digital immersive 3D forms, he draws inspiration from nature, personal pain, and artists such as Salvador Dalí, Frida Kahlo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Vincent van Gogh. His work explores memory, symbolism, emotion, and the layered complexity of human experience. His artist name, AG (All Good), reflects a personal philosophy of transforming adversity into resilience, meaning, and creative purpose.