Leo Villareal (*1967 in Albuquerque) is a pioneer in the artistic use of LEDs and computer-driven imagery and known both for his light sculptures and architectural, site-specific works. After earning degrees in art and interactive telecommunications, in the mid-nineties he began working on cutting-edge virtual reality projects. The counterculture festival Burning Man inspired him to create immersive experiences on a large scale. In 1997, he programmed a sixteen-light strobe structure for the festival. Originally conceived as a kind of pulsating night light, it was well received and became the precursor to his later work with light. This publication explores how meticulously Villareal translates his concept of an art that responds to the innovations of the twenty-first century by using computer codes and new technology as a medium for producing abstraction. Exhibition schedule: San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California, August 21, 2010–January 9, 2011 | Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, March 5–May 22, 2011 | Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas, July 22–September 25, 2011 | Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia, February 3–June 3, 2012