MAESTRO is a boundary-pushing artist whose hyper-realistic, black-and-white works explore the intersections of technology, media, and cultural memory. Originally from Valencia, Spain, he trained as an architect at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the prestigious Stuart Weitzman School of Design. After working for top firms like the Bjarke Ingels Group (B.I.G.), he transitioned into the art world, developing a signature style inspired by digital distortion and pixelation. Now based in Santa Barbara, MAESTRO’s work has gained recognition in major galleries across the U.S., leading to collaborations with influential LA-based creatives such as DOPEHAUS STUDIO and NeueHouse Hollywood.
As MAESTRO prepares for his first solo exhibition, LOADING, set to open at HOMME Gallery in Washington D.C. in April 2025, his art continues to challenge how we consume and interpret imagery in the digital age. By reimagining iconic figures and historical moments through pixelated, never-fully-loaded frames, he invites viewers to confront the tension between nostalgia and technology. In this
interview with MAESTRO, we dive into his creative process, the evolution of his artistic philosophy, and how his journey from architecture to fine art has shaped his unique vision.
In your recent explorations, you’ve incorporated iconic color palettes and ventured into 3D modeling and sculptural works. Can you discuss the evolution of these experiments and their significance in your portfolio?
For me, my pen-and-paper drawings are the center of my art practice, which I see as inseparable from a black-and-white palette. I value having a signature style that collectors can recognize, and I do think this simple, precise lens is the best way I have found to express my conceptual interests so far. That said, I have ventured recently into monochromatic editions of my pixelated works, and I have enjoyed playing with color in this way.
The idea of a gradient and differences in color value across the same hue was what first inspired me to make sculpture as well. I started by extrapolating the different pixel “values” from my drawings into 3D. The result was an abstract cityscape that I found beautiful both as a digitally rendered model and as a physical object. I have since moved into other kinds of “pixelated” sculpture, but that was where it began.
American pop culture plays a significant role in your art. How do you navigate the interplay between European design sensibilities and the boldness of American icons in your creations?
I have always been fascinated by American pop artists like Andy Warhol. I thought for a while that I might want to follow that tradition and emulate his work more directly, but my training as an architect and my upbringing in Europe made me hesitant to rely on bold/shouty color schemes in my own art.
Eventually, I realized that my process is about stripping iconic subjects down to their essential architecture by passing them through the filter of black pen on white paper. I enjoy the nostalgic, textured quality they acquire as a result, and it feels true to the simplicity and elegance that characterized my early aesthetic formation.
The concept of images that “never fully load” suggests a critique of modern media consumption. What are your thoughts on the role of art in addressing the challenges posed by the digital age?
I think art should have something to say about our current moment. I don’t think it needs to say one thing in particular, but the best art is engaging in some way or another with where we are currently—in addition to where we have been and where we are going. In the digital age, those categories feel somewhat more fluid, which is what I try to play with and capture in my art generally.
My pen-and-paper works are concerned with seeing the iconic past through the lens of the present, while my sculptures and experimentations with augmented reality (digital cityscapes that emerge from the gradient of each pixelated drawing) are more about looking into the digital future.
Your pieces invite close scrutiny and play with perspective. How do you envision the viewer’s experience when interacting with your art, and what emotions or reflections are you hoping to evoke?
With the pixelated drawings themselves, I’d like them to evoke a certain amount of frustration—though not in an unpleasant way. Like all hyperrealism, there is a playfulness in trying to “trick” the eye of the viewer into thinking that the image is “real” or possibly a photograph.
However, I’d like there to be something soothing about my art, too, in the essential minimalism of the material and the absence of loud colors. Everything is so stimulating now, our senses are constantly under attack. In both my drawings and any explorations I make into AR, I like the idea of engaging the mind while soothing the senses.
Having showcased your work in various exhibitions across the United States, how has audience reception influenced your artistic direction or the themes you choose to explore?
Seeing early reactions to my pixelated works—watching people move in closer to examine the technique, and observing their surprise once they understand that they are pen drawings—really motivated me to pursue the concept further. I think my subjects have evolved somewhat, from generally recognizable popular figures to those I deem “iconic” in the way that they have become/remain historically relevant to human culture. For me, the future of my practice is pixelated. I think I have found a lens that speaks to people and allows me to explore the concepts that interest me with both simplicity and complexity.
All images courtesy of MAESTRO, shared with permission
MAESTRO website: https://yosoymaestro.com
