Oxygen. Very Real.

Yamaneika Saunders, Comedy at the Knitting Factory, October 26, 2012

MEET ME IN NEW YORK: CALISE HAWKINS

this is all I got for black history and comics this year, but it’s tip-top

by Justin Bua

Groundbreaking artist Justin BUA is internationally known for his best-selling collection of fine art posters—The DJ being one of the most popular prints of all time. Born in 1968 in NYC’s untamed Upper West Side and raised between Manhattan and East Flatbush, Brooklyn, BUA was fascinated by the raw, visceral street life of the city. He attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts and complemented his education on the streets by writing graffiti and performing worldwide with breakdancing crews. BUA went on to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California where he earned a B.F.A. and taught figure drawing at the University of Southern California for ten years. (X)

Oxygen’s newest competition series “Street Art Throwdown,” premiering Tuesday night, made a colorful splash at this past weekend’s Super Bowl. The cabler took the graffiti show to Phoenix, Arizona for an interactive activation, in association with the NFL Fan Experience, which brought in the series’ contestants, fans and celebs, including actor Kellan Lutz (pictured) and Olympian Shawn Johnson who taped a segment that aired during NBC’s Super Bowl pre-game show. “Street Art Throwdown,” hosted by famed street artist Justin Bua who also serves as a judge and exec producer, pits 10 artists against each other in intense paint competitions through the streets of L.A., resulting in a $100,000 grand prize. Lauren Wagner, who has over a decade of experience working in the visual arts, rounds out the judges’ panel.

—Street Art Throwdown airs on Oxygen tonight at 9 p.m. Learn about the most vital and modern art form around today in “The Rise of Street Art.”

The Prancing Elite. Watch an exclusive preview of this Southern dance team’s new Oxygen show.