— Thomas Jerome Newton

Falling to Earth is an ongoing series exploring what it means to be human through the eyes of aliens in human form. The series currently includes two paintings — Thomas Jerome Newton from The Man Who Fell to Earth and Leeloo from The Fifth Element. Both characters arrive on Earth carrying a sense of cosmic purpose, only to confront emotion, fragility, and the dissonance of living within a human body.

Executed in acrylic on wooden panels with elements of gold leaf, the works merge cinematic structure with sacred iconography. Each composition is arranged like a film strip, with multiple frames visible at once — moments unfolding and freezing simultaneously. Gold leaf appears as fragments of light or coded signals, suggesting transcendence breaking through the surface.

Falling to Earth reflects on alienation, tenderness, and transformation. It is a meditation on identity and belonging, where falling is not a descent but an arrival — a moment of becoming human.