Leon Keer’s “Crypto Casino” mural brings a new dimension to Downtown Las Vegas
It kinda sticks out. That’s the point. Leon Keer’s anamorphic mural “Crypto Casino,” commissioned for last month’s Life Is Beautiful festival, pops off the wall of its Downtown Vegas parking structure in a way that’s surprisingly tough for the eyes to deny. Even when standing within a few feet of this Vegas-inspired cryptocurrency mural, you can’t quite make yourself believe that there isn’t a multistory slot machine tucked into a notched corner of the El Cortez’s Seventh Street parking garage. (For best viewing, stand on the south side of East Ogden Avenue, a little closer to Eighth Street than Seventh; for reference, you’ll be directly alongside the Downtowner Hotel.)
Keer’s piece is a comment on the rapid mainstream emergence of digital currency, but it’s not an ad. On his Instagram page (@leonkeer), the artist sounds a wary note: “You can go all in,” he says, “but without the recognized risk, crypto can become an addictive gambling product.” In any case, “Crypto Casino” offers a guaranteed visual payoff.