retna
His name is RETNA. That name echoes like an ancient glyph etched into the concrete skin of a modern city.
Born in 1979 in Los Angeles, he entered the world as Marquis Lewis. But it’s the name RETNA that truly captures the essence of his spirit and vision. RETNA was born with African-American, El Salvadoran, and Cherokee roots woven into his identity. His story began in the raw, electric world of street art, where graffiti was more than just rebellion. It was survival. It was a declaration. It was a way to assert one's existence.
The pseudonym RETNA was born from a lyric that struck him like lightning. While listening to Wu-Tang Clan’s “Heaterz”, he heard the line: “Kinetic globes light when it shine, burns your retina.” That image stayed with him. He twisted the word retina into RETNA — claiming it as a symbol of visual intensity, of seeing and being seen.
Maddox Gallery
MARGRAVES, 2017
London, UK
From the outset, RETNA turned away from conventional forms of expression. Instead, he invented a visual language of his own — an intricate typographic system rooted in Gothic calligraphy, hieroglyphs, Hebrew, Arabic script, and classic graffiti codes. His symbols pulse with history, rhythm, and silence.
Today, RETNA’s work spans continents and contexts — from towering public murals to canvases in elite galleries. He paints with spray cans and brushes alike, crafting meticulous lines with meditative precision. His art has appeared in shows from Los Angeles to London, Miami to Hong Kong. He’s collaborated with Louis Vuitton, VistaJet, Nike, Usher, and Justin Bieber. His paintings sell at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Heritage for six figures. One piece, They Can’t Come, fetched $175,000.
Yet RETNA has never turned his back on the streets. For him, the city wall remains the truest canvas — a place where silence shouts and symbols breathe.
New Image Gallery
MANO A MANO, 2017
Los Angeles, CA
Behind his quiet intensity stands his partner and wife, Veronika Mudra — a constant source of strength and creative grounding. Together, they cultivate a space where art is not just created but lived.
RETNA doesn’t just paint. He communicates. His lines whisper, chant, and sometimes roar. His language may be indecipherable to some — but for those who pause and truly look, it reveals a deep, ancient kind of truth.
While representatives for Retna did not get back to us immediately, they later told artnet News that this was part of a planned performance, and that the only sculpture he broke was his own.