RETNA

RETNA (b. 1979), born Marquis Lewis, is an American artist known for his distinctive script that brings together graffiti, calligraphy, and abstraction. Emerging from the Los Angeles graffiti scene, he developed a visual language drawing on Egyptian hieroglyphs, Arabic and Hebrew lettering, and Gothic Blackletter. Across paintings and monumental murals, his intricate symbols create rhythmic compositions that invite viewers to experience language through shape, movement, and emotion. His inclusion in MOCA’s landmark ‘Art in the Streets’ exhibition in 2011 reflects his role in connecting street culture with contemporary art.