RETNA (Marquis Duriel Lewis) was born in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. He was introduced to L.A.’s graffiti/mural culture in 1986. At the age of fifteen, he started to paint on posted fashion advertisements and led one of the largest and most innovative graffiti art collectives the city has witnessed. He is well known for his unique text-based style, and layering intricate line work with an incandescent color palette, while using paintbrushes mixed with the traditional spray can. His pieces synthesize the line between fine art and graffiti, between power and opposition, between tradition and advancement, between the past and future. Yielding an unmistakable aesthetic that integrates appropriated contemporary photography, graffiti, traditional painting and a unique glyphic style; he has emerged as one of the most prolific graffiti artists in the contemporary art world.
RETNA has participated in numerous international exhibitions, countless public murals, and collaborations- including MOCA’s “Art in the Streets” (2011), the West Hollywood Library Mural (2011), the Houston/Bowery wall in New York City (2012), the Louis Vuitton store in Miami, FL and the corresponding limited edition store (2012), “Keith Haring/RETNA” a pop-up exhibition during Art Basel Hong Kong (2013), and the mural connecting MOCA’s “Urs Fischer” exhibition and their permanent collection (2013). His upcoming shows include an exhibition at MARTE Museum in El Salvador in 2014, a solo exhibition at the Dallas Contemporary Museum of Art, as well as various upcoming projects.