Pixel Perfect Hyperrealism: An Interview with MAESTRO

It’s not every day you come across an artist whose story is as compelling as their work, but MAESTRO is far from ordinary.

A Spanish visionary now based in Santa Barbara, California, MAESTRO’s creative trajectory bridges the precision of architecture and the emotional weight of fine art.

Trained at the prestigious Stuart Weitzman School of Design and with professional stints at groundbreaking firms like Bjarke Ingels Group, he seemed destined for a successful career in architecture. But a seemingly insignificant moment in 2021 changed everything. Dealing with a phone that was struggling to load images because of a cheap data plan, he found beauty in a frustrating situation. What began as an annoying inconvenience sparked a meditative exploration of pixelated forms and blurred access, laying the groundwork for his signature black-and-white hyperrealism.

Now, MAESTRO is preparing for a milestone in his artistic career with LOADING, his highly anticipated first solo exhibition, set to open at the HOMME Gallery in Washington D.C. on April 3rd.

We had the pleasure of speaking with MAESTRO to discuss his artistic evolution, the philosophy behind his intricate pixelated creations, and his reflections on presenting his work on such a prominent stage. Here’s what he had to share.

IG: Your transition from architecture to visual art is fascinating. Can you tell us about the moment you decided to focus entirely on your art practice? What drew you away from architecture and into the world of hyperrealistic black-and-white art?

Maestro: My turn to art occurred unexpectedly, right after I immigrated to the United States in 2021. I was starting over professionally and very unsure of the future. While I waited anxiously for architecture opportunities to open up for me, art was right there. It was a completely open road. I could produce whatever I wanted as quickly as I wanted—I just needed to sit down and draw. Before, that kind of freedom would have scared me, but during that year I felt like I had nothing to lose. As I drew more, I slowly realized that I had always craved that kind of freedom.

But I haven’t abandoned architecture. Art is definitely the project of my life right now, but I still enjoy and value my architecture work. I see the two fields as very intertwined. I approach art as an architect, and architecture as an artist.

IG: The LOADING series has a pretty interesting backstory that started off with a not-so-great phone experience. What was it about that moment that resonated with you, and how did it turn into this deeper artistic exploration?

Maestro: When I first immigrated, the best I could do was a very cheap phone plan—it wasn’t the service provider’s fault, but it wasn’t ideal. I was working freelance for the very first time, hunting for any opportunity I could find, so I needed the phone to do a lot more than it could. When the images on my phone would get stuck and refuse to “load,” in the middle of a call or sending an email, it made an already anxious situation a little bit worse. It also fascinated me. I was struck by how much control this small device had over my mood, how powerful I felt when it gave me immediate access and how frustrated I felt when it didn’t. This ended up being expressed in my first pixelated drawings, and my entire conceptual language emerged from there.

IG: As you gear up for your first solo show, set to debut in April 2025, what’s going through your mind about showcasing this collection? How do you hope audiences in Washington D.C. will engage with your vision?

Maestro: I am very excited! This exhibition represents two years of my life and is made up of the pieces that convinced me art could actually be a profession. The pen-and-paper drawings will be the centerpiece, but I am also debuting editions of my first sculpture—a pixelated version of the Venus de Milo—so I’m looking forward to that as well.

For this show, I will also be incorporating an augmented reality element alongside my physical pieces: digital cityscapes derived from the gradient of black-and-white pixels in each drawing. These cityscapes will be accessible by phone via QR code, and were inspired by my background in architecture. Overall, I want to surround my audience with pixels and immerse them in the world I’ve created. If I can achieve that, I will be very happy.

IG: In your artist statement, you talk about how digital tech can sometimes get in the way of our endless craving for content. Can you dive a bit deeper into that? How do you feel this theme connects with our current culture and tech scene?

Maestro: The world moves very fast these days and people expect immediate access to everything. I’m fascinated by technology—and rely on it in my daily life like most people—but I think our relationship with it is a lot more fragile than it seems. Having unlimited data can feel like having unlimited potential, but the instant gratification it trains us to seek isn’t always healthy, and the satisfaction it provides is often an illusion. It’s true that the average person has more access to the world now than ever before, and that is great. But if I let myself get too lost in technology, I come away from it feeling frustrated or empty. It’s engaging and alienating, comforting and unsettling. I’m interested in exploring that duality through my art.

IG: Your pieces break down icons from American pop culture and global art history into their most raw, pixelated forms. How do you choose which subjects or images to reinterpret? Is it more about your personal interests or cultural commentary?

Maestro: The first pixelated piece I ever drew was a single frame from the 1928 cartoon “Steamboat Willie,” by Walt Disney, which was the debut of Mickey Mouse as a character. Something about that piece felt right immediately, but I had to experiment for a while before coming back to that concept. I tried pixelating isolated figures and tested other digital lenses (like a blurred screen instead of a loading one), but kept returning to the idea of a frozen, inaccessible frame. Over time, it became clear that my ideal subject is an iconic figure or event, captured by a well-timed photograph or a paused moment of film. “Iconic” for me means historically and culturally significant—something that has stood or will stand the test of time.

IG: For those just discovering your work, what do you hope they take away when they first interact with one of your pieces? What conversations do you want your art to spark?

Maestro: We live in a high-resolution world these days. Just like when photography was first invented and abstract art emerged in response, now that 8k resolution is possible, I see more and more people going back to retro cameras and polaroids. They could have millions of pixels in an image, but they opt for less because of the texture and nostalgia it adds to their images. When I am making renderings as an architect, I have to constantly consider how many pixels I want an image to have. In a way, I am always thinking in pixels. I see my pieces partly as asking “how many pixels are absolutely necessary for an iconic image to be recognizable?” I’d like to spark conversations about our relationship with the screens that dominate our lives—how they both enable and obstruct a view of the world.

IG: Finally, the upcoming LOADING exhibition at HOMME Gallery is a significant milestone for you. Aside from that, what’s next for you? Do you have any plans to push your practice in new directions or explore new subjects in the near future?

Maestro: I really want to take my pixelated style and expand it as far as it can go. I see myself developing the “Loading” concept into more niche themes in future exhibitions.

Some that have been on my mind lately would be “Loading: The Louvre,” wherein I would select a single room in the iconic museum and re-create it my pixelated style, or “Loading: Sorolla,” which would feature pixelated works inspired by his paintings. Any opportunity I might get to explore Spanish art and culture would be very meaningful to me.

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LOADING opens to the public on on April 3rd, 2025 at HOMME Gallery. To learn more about MAESTRO and the exhibition, visit his website or follow his latest updates on Instagram.