The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod and Life Is Beautiful Unveil “Dancing in the Desert,” by Spanish Artist, Antonyo Marest

May 26, 2022

LAS VEGAS – May 25, 2022 – The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod, and Life Is Beautiful (LIB) have come together to unveil “Dancing in the Desert,” a collection of four striking murals by internationally renowned artist, Antonyo Marest, curated by Justkids. Marest was joined in a ceremony to unveil the murals today by Stephen Thayer, Vice President and General Manager of The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod; Las Vegas City Councilmember Olivia Diaz and Councilmember Cedric Crear; and Charlotte Dutoit, founder and director of Justkids and art curator of LIB since its inception. 

“I’m thrilled to have my art displayed at one of the most iconic sites in the world,” said Marest. “I have found tremendous inspiration in Las Vegas, which is such a bold and energetic city.”

Visible from W. Bob Stupak Avenue, each of the four 40’ x 40’ murals are displayed from the massive parking garage walls to the southwest of the main entrance. Life Is Beautiful and The STRAT commissioned Marest for the four murals, through which he sought to recreate the same feeling of welcome and desire to live life that he felt while observing Las Vegas from The STRAT’s famed Observation Deck in the SkyPod of the iconic tower. Highlighting the intricacies of Las Vegas, from the history of the city to its atmosphere of unapologetic fun, Marest co-mingles the element of water, a symbol for leisure and fun; with elements of the landscape surrounding the city. Additionally, moved by the The STRAT’s distinctive architecture and location, Marest used colorful zig-zag patterns across the works to represent the journey from Downtown Vegas to The Strip with The STRAT placed as the meeting point between the two.

“Antonyo Marest is a master artist, and we are thrilled to share his incredible work with the many Life Is Beautiful loyalists, locals and visitors within the city of Las Vegas, “said Thayer. “His captivating and eccentric work seamlessly captures the essence of The STRAT’s vibrant atmosphere and are a striking addition to the many works we have displayed throughout the property.” 

The four murals were commissioned from Marest, who is a multidisciplinary artist from Alicante, Spain, and curated by Life is Beautiful’s art curator Justkids. Marest has studied art and architecture across numerous European universities. With artistic expertise in sculpture, paint and design, Marest introduces new trends within urban art, creating new formats of expression in contemporary art. 

"Public art has always played a major part in Life is Beautiful's overall mission to bring more vibrancy to Las Vegas," said Lauren DelFrago, VP and Festival Director. "We've had the pleasure of working with Antonyo to create immersive art experiences for the festival in the past, and we knew he would be the perfect person to add a little more color to one of the city's most iconic properties." 

Complimentary parking and valet are always available at The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod.

About The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod 
The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod, formerly the Stratosphere, Casino, Hotel & Tower, has introduced a full reinvention of the iconic property since Golden Entertainment, Inc. took ownership in late 2017. Located on the north Strip at the gateway to the Arts District at 2000 S. Las Vegas Blvd., the hotel offers 2,427 guest rooms, including the newly remodeled “Elevate” series rooms and suites, and an 80,000-square-foot casino. The SkyPod, located at the top of the iconic tower at 1,149 feet high, is comprised of Top of the World, serving award-winning cuisine in a 360-degree rotating dining room on the 106th floor; the Observation Deck, which offers SkyJump Powered by MTN DEW, 108 Eats and 108 Drinks, located on the 108th floor; and thrill rides, located at the top of the tower, including: Big Shot, Insanity and X-Scream. The STRAT’s main floor has introduced PT’s Wings & Sports, View Lounge and STRAT Café, each offering chef-driven cuisine; the William Hill Sports Book; and REMIX Lounge. The STRAT offers two resort-style pools, WET24, located on the rooftop of the 24th floor, open seasonally; and the Elation Pool, with three oversized spas and poolside café. A variety of shows and entertainment include “Banachek’s Mind Games Live,” a mentalist act; Xavier Mortimer: The Dream Maker, an illusionist show; iLuminate, a multi-sensory blend of dance and technology; ROUGE, an exciting, topless spectacular and immersive, sensual experience; and L.A. Comedy Club, which showcases up-and-coming stand-up comics. Golden Entertainment, Inc.’s innovative guest loyalty rewards program, True Rewards, is now available at The STRAT and 140+ other locations. Free valet and self-parking are available anytime for all guests. More information is available at www.TheSTRAT.com or by calling 702-380-7777. The STRAT is on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.  

About Life is Beautiful 
Life is Beautiful was born in 2013 as part of the major transformation of Downtown Las Vegas as a cultural hub and has since contributed over $350M of economic impact and cultural capital to the area. During the three-day festival, premier musical acts, experiential artists, comedians, thinkers and culinary talent flow into the urban streets of DTLV, in addition to the festival's 170,000 attendees. What started as an event has become something more: a symbol of connection, joy and creativity. Life is Beautiful continues to be driven by its core mission to create a holistic experience which aids in positive community transformation and individual empowerment by collectivizing and inspiring through shared experiences driven by art and culture.

About Golden Entertainment, Inc.  
Golden Entertainment owns and operates gaming properties across two divisions – casino operations and distributed gaming. Golden Entertainment operates over 16,700 slots, 120 table games, and 6,200 hotel rooms. Golden Entertainment owns 10 casino resorts – nine in Southern Nevada and one in Maryland. Through its distributed gaming business in Nevada and Montana, Golden Entertainment operates video gaming devices at over 1,000 locations and owns over 60 traditional taverns in Nevada. Golden Entertainment is also licensed in Illinois and Pennsylvania to operate video gaming terminals. For more information, visit www.goldenent.com. 

About Justkids
Justkids is a multi-disciplinary women-led art platform providing design, curatorial and production services for public and private art initiatives. With a strong international network of leading contemporary artists, curators, and creative teams, Justkids offers wide-ranging visual experiences that engage diverse audiences and communities. Justkids collaborates with cities, communities, innovative brands, and institutional spaces to drive visual culture and create unforgettable experiences that celebrate art. Justkids has consecutively curated the Art Program for the Life is Beautiful Festival since its inception in 2013, inviting hundreds of world-renowned national and international visual artists like Shepard Fairey (US), Lakwena (UK), Okuda San Miguel (Spain), Felipe Pantone (Spain), and many more, to add permanent art installations to the ever-growing outdoor art gallery of DTLV.

 
Media Contacts: 
Lauren Cahlan/Lauren Addante 
(702) 283-1414 
[email protected]
 
Tim Evans of The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod 
(702) 383-4782
[email protected]