Bio:
Born in 1968 in NYC’s untamed Upper West Side and raised
between Manhattan and East Flatbush, Brooklyn, groundbreaking artist Justin 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 in Illustration.
BUA’s work captures the underground urban world - its music,
dance, politics, history, emotion, and cultural importance. Like Rembrandt and Goya’s depictions of both
the aristocracy and the outcasts of society, BUA documents both the icons of
his time and society’s marginalized, each, with equal reverence. From the hustlers in “Green Street” gambling to survive, to the
venerated breakdancer in the snapshot of history “1981,” he portrays dignity
and strength, commenting not only on ghetto economies and the plight of those
living in the projects, but the will, the creativity, and the rich culture that
has been born from the inner-city. In doing so, BUA blurs the differences
between heroes and underdogs, wealth and poverty. Impeccable draftsmanship,
harmonized palettes, unusual perspectives, and skillfully developed
compositions place BUA in the narrow class of artists who sustain the legacy of
the masters.
In his first book, The
Beat of Urban Art, BUA lays out his unique vision, melding urban rhythms,
graffiti, and classical art training. This visually arresting book is about his
life, his work, and the birth of Hip-Hop. As we follow BUA through his
turbulent youth, navigating the streets and underground worlds of the urban
jungle, we recognize the powerful evolution of BUA’s distinct style—“Distorted
Urban Realism With an autobiographical narrative illustrated with photographs,
drawings, sketches, studies, and explanations of how many of his paintings were
created, The Beat of Urban Art takes
you into the head of the modern-day Toulouse-Lautrec.
Currently, BUA teaches figure drawing at the University of Southern California while continuing to
be a leading innovator in both the fine and commercial art worlds. His worldwide, energetic, and vocal fan base
includes a vast range of art connoisseurs, former presidents, actors,
musicians, professional athletes, dancers, and street kids. To learn more about BUA you can also visit
his website at www.justinbua.com.