Born Marquis Lewis in 1979 in Los Angeles, he has African-American, Salvadoran and Cherokee ancestry. As a child, Lewis moved between several schools in the L.A. area, becoming more involved in graffiti culture at each location. In 1996, he chose the name Retna from a Wu-Tang Clan lyric.
Career
Influences
Retna cites eclectic artistic influences, such as illuminated manuscripts, Renaissance imagery, and contemporary text-based art. Religious architecture and décor have long been a focus of his. He has mentioned Degas, Klimt, Basquiat, Haring and the Art Nouveau movement as historical references. Particular to his graffiti writing, Saber and David Choe are cited as influences, among others. Retna has developed a constructed script which he uses in much of his work. Each block of text is a system of hieroglyphs, calligraphy and illuminated script that has been influenced by Arabic calligraphy, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Hebrew, Blackletter, and Native American typographies. Retna's script communicates personal messages and poetry which are not immediately decipherable to a pedestrian audience. His hieroglyphic style artwork has also been seen in the Lower East Side on the Rivington Street Wall near Bowery.
Technique
A typical studio session primarily involves the creation of new material and continued editions on existing works. Retna notes that his most common media formats are based in painting: acrylic, enamel, aerosols and oils. His work is anchored in typographic forms.
Nike. Retna contributed to the overall graphic and visual arts elements for the re-opening of a Nike store in Las Vegas.
Louis Vuitton. In October 2012, Retna was commissioned by the fashion design firm Louis Vuitton to create signage for their temporary Miami Design District boutique. The project was a collaboration with street artists Aiko and Os Gêmeos, and included the design of scarves and accessories.
VistaJet. The airline company VistaJet commissioned Retna to decorate the tailfin of the VistaJet Global Express XRS with his signature script. Since its completion, the vessel's value is estimated at $60 million. The completed project was unveiled in 2012 in Geneva.
Justin Bieber's Purpose. In 2015, Retna designed the artwork for Justin Bieber's new album "Purpose". The artwork had some Buddhist, Christian and Hindu influences and Bieber is there with his both hands joined vertically.
John F. Kennedy Center. In 2017, Retna's work was used as inspiration to design the set and costumes for Washington National Opera’s Aida. A series of hand-painted murals were displayed for six-week exhibition at the Kennedy Center Grand Foyer and Hall of Nations at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The words of JFK can be found in these original murals.
Opera Aida. In 2018, Retna collaborated with Seattle Opera to design the stage sets for Verdi's Aida.
Controversy
Retna has also repeatedly been in the news for violent acts, which have included: destroying artworks, an accusation of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Brittny Gastineau, and vandalizing a Los Angeles gallery.
