"I developed a script that no one can read - but everyone can feel."
RETNA - born Marquis Duriel Lewis in Los Angeles in 1979 - is one of the most formally distinctive artists to have emerged from the street art tradition and the defining figure in the elevation of calligraphic mark-making to fine art. His practice synthesises Egyptian hieroglyphics, Arabic and Hebrew calligraphy, Gothic Blackletter, and the Chicano graffiti tradition of Los Angeles into a private visual language of extraordinary presence and cultural depth. Emerging from the Los Angeles graffiti scene as a teenager, he went on to complete major public murals across Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Mexico City, and has collaborated with Louis Vuitton, Nike, Chanel, and VistaJet. His artwork appeared on the cover of Justin Bieber's Purpose album in 2015, and he served as artistic designer for Aida at the San Francisco and Washington National Operas in 2016-17. Institutional exhibitions include MOCA Los Angeles (2013) and the San Francisco Legion of Honor (2016). His works regularly achieve five-figure sums at international auction.