Who Sent the Papaya to the Moon In Lunaprise Museum? Get to Know Alejandro Glatt
The Impossible Journey from 1st Art Museum On the Moon To the Lourve Museum in Paris.
Glatt at the opening of his exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum of Quintana Roo, Mexico (2025)
In February 2024, a papaya made history. It wasn’t just a fruit — it was a symbol of creativity, cultural identity, and collective joy. This golden papaya, designed by Mexican artist Alejandro Glatt, was sent to the Moon aboard a Lunarprise capsule, making him the first Mexican artist to send a papaya to the Moon.
This poetic intervention was made possible through the vision of Lunarprise, and the personal invitation of Dalla Santana, who recognized Glatt’s artistic voice as one that deserved to be archived beyond Earth.
Lunarprise x Alejandro Glatt: Art in Orbit
Lunarprise is more than a mission — it is a mirror of what we value as a civilization. For Alejandro Glatt, contributing to this space archive was a continuation of his journey as an artist who merges emotion, nature, and technology.
“This mission reminded me that even something as playful and organic as a papaya can carry deep meaning when it leaves Earth. I’m grateful to Dallas Santana and Lunarprise for making it possible,” said Glatt.
From the Moon to the Louvre Museum
Just weeks after his papaya reached the Moon, Glatt’s work was exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where he presented fruit-based installations and sensory collages that explore freedom, identity, and human connection.
From Tulum to Tel Aviv, from New York to the Moon, Alejandro Glatt is creating a new artistic language — anchored in joy and rooted in ritual.
Frida Kahlo Goes to the Moon
In 2025, Glatt will send an official portrait of Frida Kahlo to the Moon in collaboration with the Frida Kahlo Museum in Tulum and Lunarprise, curated once again by Dalla Santana.
This gesture honors Frida’s global legacy and symbolizes the power of Mexican creativity on a universal scale. For Glatt, it’s about “taking one of the most powerful icons of Mexican art and placing her among the stars.”
Israel to the Moon: A Message of Peace
Alongside the Frida project, Glatt is also preparing to send a map of Israel to the Moon as a visual prayer for peace. This map, created as part of his ongoing artistic exploration of land, identity, and coexistence, will become part of Lunarprise’s second mission in 2025.
“This is not about politics,” Glatt says. “It’s about planting a symbol of peace on the Moon — a map without borders, an invitation to heal.”
The Golden Mullet Papaya: When Pink Floyd Meets the Moon
What happens when a Mexican artist known for sending papayas into space teams up with a psychedelic rock legend? You get The Golden Mullet Papaya — a radiant fusion of music, art, fruit, and cosmic vision. Created by Alejandro Glatt in collaboration with Scott Page, the iconic saxophonist from Pink Floyd, this hybrid artwork will be launched to the Moon in 2025 as part of the second Lunarprise mission.
The Artist Who Sent a Papaya to the Moon
Whether through lunar-bound papayas, cosmic tributes to Frida Kahlo, or maps of peace, Alejandro Glatt continues to redefine the role of the contemporary artist.
He is not just sending art to the Moon — he’s sending messages.
Of beauty.
Of unity.
Of play.
Of peace.
So… Who sent the papaya to the Moon?
Now you know.
Follow Alejandro Glatt’s journey:
Instagram: @alejandroglatt
Alejandro Glatt’s Cosmic Ambition: From Papaya Art to the Moon and Beyond
Art, Nature, and a Vision Beyond Earth
Alejandro Glatt is a Mexican multidisciplinary artist known for blending the organic with the technological in his work. “My art is organic, my project tries to mix nature with technology. I’ve shown it with NFT pieces, digital works, videomapping and laser, but always with an organic concept mixed with technological advances — that’s the key to my project,” Glatt has explained . Centering his artistic discourse on fruits — especially the papaya, a tropical fruit native to Mexico — Glatt uses this “exotic” motif to spark reactions and connections. “A papaya generates something in people — it might make them uncomfortable, or it might make them laugh. It’s so exotic; how strange that a fruit can trigger that,” he observes, describing how he relishes watching visitors interact with his installations . This “Feel the Fruit” philosophy, as he calls it, uses fruit as a conduit to engage the senses, evoke emotions, and bridge human connections.
Glatt’s journey in art has taken him from immersive fruit-themed installations in beaches and galleries to prestigious art events worldwide. By his late twenties he had already exhibited work in Tulum, Oaxaca, Paris, New York, Miami, Tel Aviv, Ibiza, Brazil and Costa Rica . In June 2024, he was even honored by the Frida Kahlo Corporation as the official “Guardian of Frida Kahlo,” recognizing his dedication to preserving the legendary artist’s legacy . At that event — the Frida Kahlo Papaya Museum in Tulum — Glatt’s papaya sculptures were displayed alongside rare photographs of Frida, symbolically intertwining Mexico’s cultural heritage with natural imagery . It’s fitting, then, that Glatt’s artistic vision continually seeks to transcend boundaries: geographical, cultural, and even planetary.
Launching Art to the Moon — The Lunaprise Mission
Glatt’s boundary-pushing ethos hit a literal new frontier in early 2024, when he became one of the first artists in history to send artwork to the Moon. He was selected as one of 222 artists worldwide whose works were included in the Lunaprise Moon Museum, a kind of cosmic time capsule of art . This groundbreaking project — curated by Space Blue (led by art visionary Dallas Santana) and spearheaded by crypto-art platform BitBasel — assembled a collection of art, music and film to be preserved on the lunar surface . On February 14, 2024, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying the Lunaprise capsule, and eight days later it achieved a historic landing . It marked the first American moon landing since 1972, and notably, the first-ever art exhibition beyond Earth .
Glatt’s contribution to this extraterrestrial gallery was a piece titled “Papayas to the Moon.” In it, he harnessed the symbolism of the papaya to represent a message of unity and sustainability on a cosmic scale. The artwork evokes the harmony of the four classical elements — earth, air, water and fire — encapsulated in the form of a papaya, and was conceived to promote deeper reflection on the relationship between humanity and nature . Glatt has noted that Papayas to the Moon is part of a broader movement seeking to “amplify the union, harmony and connection between humanity and the universe”, aligning with global ideals like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (in fact, his piece specifically nods to SDG #17, partnership for the goals) . By integrating digital twin technology, Web3 tools and even nanotechnology in the creation process, the Lunaprise collection is designed to last — the artworks are etched onto a nickel disk capable of withstanding harsh space conditions, with the aim of preserving human creativity for “millions or even billions of years” into the future . In Glatt’s words, “Lunaprise is like a time capsule” that will perpetuate art and life beyond our planet, even as it showcases how technology has become integral to artistic expression .
For Glatt, participating in this lunar odyssey was both an honor and a natural extension of his artistic mission. “Without technology my project could not reach so many people or have the impact it does… years ago it was impossible for an artist’s work to be known in different parts of the world, and now look — not only has my work been exhibited in various cities, it even left this world,” he said, marveling at the reach of this project . Indeed, the Lunaprise Moon Museum represents a revolution in art through technology, a convergence that allowed a piece of Glatt’s very Mexican, very organic artwork to find a home on the lunar surface. The feat also carried deep personal significance for the 30-year-old artist: “I see my contribution as a way to bring Mexico closer to space,” he shared, reflecting on the pride of having a slice of Mexican culture — in the form of a humble papaya — planted on the Moon .
The mission itself is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, a series of private-public collaborations designed to deliver payloads to the Moon ahead of the return of astronauts in 2025 . Lunaprise is envisioned as an ongoing effort — “the first of five missions” planned to carry humanity’s creative output into space . Having been in the inaugural cohort of Lunaprise artists, Glatt is slated to participate in the second mission as well . “What they intend is to send various capsules with the works of humankind to the Moon — art and other artifacts — to leave a legacy for billions of years,” Glatt explains of the project’s grand goal . In essence, Lunaprise is forging a museum with no walls and no borders, where the gallery is the Moon itself. And Glatt, with his papaya in space, has already secured his place in this cosmic gallery of human culture.
Bridging Heritage and Space — From Frida Kahlo to the Moon
Glatt’s role in Lunaprise is not only as an individual artist but also as a cultural curator of sorts, bringing the spirit of Mexico’s artistic heritage into the fold of space exploration. Fresh off the success of Papayas to the Moon, he has set his sights on an even more ambitious follow-up: sending an official image of Frida Kahlo to the Moon. According to a recent profile in Revista Acromática, Alejandro Glatt’s next bold project is to “send an official image of Frida Kahlo into space” . This initiative, currently in development, would enshrine the likeness of one of Mexico’s most iconic artists on the lunar surface, preserving her legacy quite literally among the stars. Glatt is working closely with Frida Kahlo’s estate and related organizations — a collaboration made possible in part by his designation as Guardian of Frida Kahlo. The plan involves using advanced imaging and inscription techniques (similar to those used for the Lunaprise capsule) to ensure Kahlo’s image endures the journey and the extreme conditions on the Moon. In doing so, Glatt aims to pay homage to Frida’s indomitable spirit and make a powerful statement: that art and culture from Earth can transcend their terrestrial origins.
This upcoming “Frida to the Moon” endeavor epitomizes Glatt’s curatorial vision of merging Mexican cultural identity with cosmic exploration. Frida Kahlo’s visage, rich with symbolism of resilience, pain and creativity, would become part of a permanent exhibition in space — a merge of art, history and futurism. “It’s about reappropriating something that already existed and transforming it into an icon,” Glatt says of his tendency to remix cultural elements into new contexts . In previous works, he has embedded images of Frida into papaya sculptures and even created papaya-shaped art adorned with the Mona Lisa and SpongeBob SquarePants, placing figures from fine art and pop culture on equal footing . In 2024, he showcased a playful installation dubbed “Papayas in the Louvre” in Paris, where one piece composed of 27 plush Dr. Simi dolls (a beloved Mexican pop icon) formed the shape of a papaya — exhibited alongside versions featuring Frida Kahlo and even the Mona Lisa . By fusing such symbols with his fruit motif, Glatt brings a distinctly Mexican flavor to international art forums, be it the Louvre or the lunar surface. Each project reinforces his belief that art can act as a bridge: connecting past and future, local culture and universal themes, Earth and outer space.
While preparing the Frida Kahlo lunar project, Glatt hasn’t neglected his Earthly endeavors. As Acromática notes, he is “developing a series of maps intervened with collages, exploring the relationship between territory and community in different cities around the world.” This ongoing series highlights his commitment to community-centric art; through collage and map-making, Glatt engages with local narratives and social landscapes. In effect, from mapping communities to launching symbols into the heavens, Glatt’s work operates on multiple scales. Yet a common thread runs through it all: a desire to connect — people to place, art to audience, present to future.
Inspiring a New Frontier for Art
Alejandro Glatt’s journey — from experimenting with real fruit in intimate art rituals to etching his creations onto a lunar time capsule — reads almost like a modern myth. It’s the story of a young artist who dared to dream beyond the confines of galleries, beyond even the Earth itself. And remarkably, those dreams have taken root. Glatt’s papaya has landed on the Moon, his papayas have lit up the Louvre, and soon Frida Kahlo’s portrait may gaze back at us from a lunar vault. In each chapter, Glatt has leveraged technology, community, and a playful creative vision to turn bold ideas into reality. “This is the revolution of art through technology,” he says, “we can see someone create a piece, upload a video and it goes viral… Now it happened to me, and my work not only has been shown in various cities, it even left this world.” By embracing this revolution, Glatt exemplifies how art in the 21st century can truly transcend borders — physical, digital, and even planetary.
Importantly, Glatt views these achievements not as endpoints but as invitations. He actively encourages other artists to join this evolving dialogue between art and space. In interviews, he stresses the importance of collaboration and perseverance, urging emerging creators to “work hard, connect with other creators and actively seek opportunities,” treating art as “a movement of impact and change.” The Lunaprise project’s communal nature — 222 artists united in one cosmic gallery — is a testament to this collaborative spirit. It heralds “the beginning of a new era” where more and more artists may send their work into the cosmos, opening “a wide range of opportunities for contemporary art” beyond Earth .
Glatt’s story illustrates the expanding horizons of human creativity. By bringing a papaya to the Moon and preparing to send Frida Kahlo’s image after it, he merges the intimate and the infinite. This visionary convergence of art, culture, and space serves as a powerful reminder that artistic expression knows no bounds. In Alejandro Glatt’s cosmic ambition, we find inspiration that art can literally reach for the Moon — and in doing so, remind us of what is possible when imagination is given the freedom of the universe.
Sources:
1. Revista Acromática — “El ambicioso proyecto de llevar arte a la Luna”
2. El Sol de México — “Alejandro Glatt: Su arte lo lleva a la luna”
3. Líderes Mexicanos — “El viaje artístico de Alejandro Glatt: la primera papaya mexicana en la luna”
4. Vive Miami — “Papayas to the Moon” (Feb 28, 2024)
5. Es Lo Mázzz — “Alejandro Glatt coloca sus papayas en la luna con Lunaprise”
6. Milenio — “Papayas en el Louvre” coverage
7. Alejandro Glatt — Official Website (Project Pages) and Media Interviews.
