RETNA (born Marquis Lewis 1979) is a contemporary artist, primarily recognized for

graffiti art Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

. He was born and raised in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and started his career in the early 1990s. He developed a distinctive

constructed script A constructed script is a new writing system specifically created by an individual or group, rather than having evolved as part of a language or culture like a natural script. Some are designed for use with constructed languages, although several ...

which is derived from

Blackletter Blackletter (sometimes black letter), also known as Gothic script, Gothic minuscule, or Textura, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 until the 17th century. It continued to be commonly used for the Danish, Norweg ...

Egyptian Hieroglyphics Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1,00 ...

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

calligraphy, as well as more traditional types of street-based graffiti. In addition to exhibiting at institutions and galleries in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, Retna has done advertising work for brands such as

VistaJet VistaJet is a global business aviation company founded in 2004 by Thomas Flohr. The firm flies between any two points, under a "pay for hours flown" fare structure. Its fleet consists of 73 privately-owned, mid-to-large-cabin, ultra-long-range ...

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...

, and

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

. His artwork adorns the cover of Justin Bieber's

Purpose Purpose is the end for which something is done, created or for which it exists. It is part of the topic of intentionality and goal-seeking behavior. Related concepts and subjects: * Goal, a desired result or possible outcome * Intention, the stat ...

album that debuted in 2015. Retna has many high profile patrons, including fast food magnate

Sam Nazarian Sam Nazarian (; born 1975) is a Persian-American businessman, investor and philanthropist. He is the founder, Chairman and CEO of SBE Entertainment Group. Biography Early life Nazarian was born to a Persian Jewish family in Tehran in 1975. The ...

Career

His hieroglyphic style artwork has also been seen in the Lower East Side on the

Rivington Street Wall The Rivington Street Wall is a public art project on New York City's Lower East Side that has existed since 2014. This wall, located on Rivington Street between Bowery and Chrystie Street adjacent to the On Stellar Rays gallery, began as a mura ...

near Bowery.

Museum projects

* 2013: ''RETNA: Para mi gente''. Artist was invited to create art installation inside

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) is a contemporary art museum with two locations in greater Los Angeles, California. The main branch is located on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, near the Walt Disney Concert Hall. MOCA's o ...

, CA.

Public projects

In 2016 he was commissioned to paint the side of the 24 story public housing building, Edificio Cuauhtémoc, in the Tlatelolco zone of Mexico City.

Selected solo exhibitions

* 2017: ''MARGRAVES'', Maddox Gallery,

, UK * 2017: ''MANO A MANO'', New Image Gallery,

, CA

Controversy

Retna has also repeatedly been in the news for violent acts, which have included: destroying artworks, an accusation of

assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

ing his ex-girlfriend

Brittny Gastineau Brittny Gastineau (born November 11, 1982) is an American model, socialite, and reality television personality. Early life and family Gastineau was born in New York City. She is the daughter of Lisa Gastineau and former New York Jets defensi ...

, and vandalizing a Los Angeles gallery.

References

External links

{{official website, https://web.archive.org/web/20210211000425/http://www.digitalretna.com/ 1979 births Living people American graffiti artists Album-cover and concert-poster artists