Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Abram Santa Cruz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Abram, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is the Electric Dandelions, which I first created in 2016. At the time, I had no idea how profoundly this project would shape the trajectory of my public art career. What started as a personal creative experiment evolved into a piece that brought international recognition to my company, Liquid PXL, and opened up a world of opportunities I hadn’t previously imagined.

The idea for Electric Dandelions came from a simple question I asked myself: “How come no one ever created an endless firework art project at Burning Man before?” That spark of curiosity led me to repurpose materials from a previous project, the Sea Urchin, including custom-made light tubes and other electronic components. Recycling these materials not only gave my art a second life, but also made this new project more financially feasible, which was crucial at the time. It also marked the first time I worked with steel—an important step forward in creating durable works that could thrive in public spaces.

Electric Dandelions was our first installation to be featured in a municipal setting, debuting at the Reno Art Park in 2017 and again in 2018. That milestone gave Liquid PXL its first taste of recognition beyond the festival world. It also kicked off our first international tour, with the piece traveling to cities like Toronto, Adelaide, Liverpool, New York, Miami, and Jerusalem. Since 2016, the Electric Dandelions have appeared in over 40 exhibits, primarily at music festivals, but increasingly at light festivals and municipal events around the globe.

What makes this project especially meaningful to me is not just its reach, but what it taught me. It taught me the essential qualities of a successful public light art installation: it has to be durable, visually impactful, easy to transport and assemble, cost-effective to fabricate, and universally relatable—able to connect with people across cultures, ages, and backgrounds. Electric Dandelions became a blueprint for how I approach public art moving forward, both creatively and practically.
It’s rare that a single project can check all those boxes and still resonate so personally. That’s why Electric Dandelions will always hold a special place in my journey as an artist.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a self‑taught light‑installation artist whose journey began far from the studio. In my early twenties I was selling real estate at Halstead Properties in New York and trading stocks for UBS in Beverly Hills—careers that taught me negotiation, project management, and how to read people. But after a back‑to‑back pilgrimage to Burning Man and Peru in 2005, I felt a creative fire I couldn’t ignore. I left finance, dove into graphic design and photography, and eventually landed as an art director for an eyewear company—where I got my first taste of public art. Those early roles honed my marketing savvy and taught me how to shepherd big ideas from concept to completion.

Burning Man became both my laboratory and my muse. I applied for the art grant every year starting in 2008, learning resilience each time I didn’t make the cut. In 2012, rather than wait for funding, I built my own grant: the Peace Wall. It was an 8‑foot‑tall, 80‑foot‑long semi‑circular mural of back‑lit resin paintings on glass—my signature medium—and it debuted on the playa. The next year it traveled to Lucidity Music Festival and Lightning in a Bottle, proving that immersive light could transform not just a desert, but any space into a communal experience.

Since then, I’ve challenged myself to unveil a new installation at Burning Man every year, each one more ambitious than the last. That practice pushed me to build out Liquid PXL in Los Angeles—a full fabrication shop with a team of designers, engineers, and fabricators. Today, we produce around twenty large‑scale immersive light experiences annually, for municipalities, concert venues, festivals, and even other artists who need our technical expertise and creative vision.

What sets me—and Liquid PXL—apart is this fusion of entrepreneurial grit and artistic passion. My background in real estate, finance, and marketing means I don’t just dream big; I plan budgets, manage timelines, and deliver on promises. My clients come to me when they need installations that captivate audiences, tell a story through light and color, and stand up to the logistical challenges of public art. Whether it’s a civic plaza that needs evening activation or a concert stage that must glow under sky‑high pressure, we design, engineer, and install with precision.

I’m most proud of turning a personal quest for creative freedom into a thriving studio that elevates spaces worldwide. Potential clients and fans should know that every piece I make is rooted in community—born on the playa, built in LA, and shared wherever light can bring people together. My work isn’t just decoration; it’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and connect through the language of light.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

A thriving creative ecosystem rests on education, infrastructure, and sustained financial support. This can be done by:

1. Invest in Early Arts Education
By making art and music programs a core part of every public school’s curriculum, we not only give every child a chance to discover and develop their creative talents, but also build future audiences and advocates for the arts.

2. Build Public Spaces That Spark Interaction
When cities intentionally weave art into the urban design (plazas designed for live performance, interactive sculptures in parks, community mural walls) they create opportunities for people to connect, play and explore together. Those shared experiences, in turn, generate demand for new kinds of creative work: wayfinding installations, light‑and‑sound playgrounds, community co‑creation projects.

3. Public Funding
– Grants & Fellowships: Increase publicly funded fellowships and micro‑grants so emerging artists can focus on their work without having to moonlight.
– Tax Incentives & Zoning: Offer tax breaks or affordable‑rent zones for live/work studios, and encourage developers to include gallery or performance space in new projects.

By embedding art into education, city planning and economic policy—and by nurturing the digital channels that connect creators with audiences—we not only support individual artists, but also cultivate a culture in which creativity is valued as essential infrastructure.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

In my view, NFTs are an intriguing use of blockchain for establishing digital provenance and scarcity—but the space is still very much in its infancy. Right now the hype cycle has attracted a lot of speculation, price manipulation and outright scams, which makes it hard for serious artists to separate real opportunity from noise.

So while I agree that today’s NFT market is over‑heated and rife with bad actors, I’m optimistic that as the technology and regulations mature, NFTs can play a meaningful role in the art world—especially for digital‑native creators who have struggled to monetize their work under traditional gallery models.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.liquidpxl.com
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/liquidpxl
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liquidpxl

Image Credits

Abram Santa Cruz I have the rights to publish these