Marquis Lewis (Retna)

Pardon Me shares its name with the centerpiece of the show, a monumental triptych and shining example of the Artist's distinctive scripture rendered in acrylic, ink, and enamel. With splashes of vibrant color permeating every facet of each piece, the work is a letter to the Artist's mother written in 2021. Across the room, the work is stared down by one of the Artist's figurative "Brimstone" pieces titled Crème de la Crème.

The duality between these works lends itself to creating a space for meditation between two sides of an artist's struggle.

Marquis Lewis was born in 1979 in Los Angeles. At the age of fifteen, he began painting on posted fashion advertisements and, from there, led one of the largest and most innovative graffiti art collectives in the city. In addition to exhibiting at institutions and galleries in Los Angeles (including the façade of The Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art’s Grand Avenue location for their 2013 Gala celebrating the blockbuster exhibition Art In The Streets), Miami, London, New York (including the prestigious public exhibition space of the Houston-Bowery Wall), and Hong Kong, Lewis has created exclusive collaborations with brands such as VistaJet, Nike, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. Lewis lives and works in Los Angeles.