"When you pull into the front driveway of Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, you’re greeted with balloon-like letters that spell out the hotel’s name and a 3-D neon orange wireframe of a Lamborghini Countach. For those who aren’t in the know, these aren’t just there for Instagram-worthy moments. They’re the works of Adam Parker Smith and Benedict Radcliffe, respectively. And once you pass through the gilded doors, you’re met with a 13-foot-long tiger shark that has been trisected into three tanks of formaldehyde, lofted above bottles of top-shelf spirits. The attention-grabbing set-up is artist Damien Hirst’s first bar project in the United States, featuring the fierce sculpture titled The Unknown (Explored, Explained, Exploded). And it’s these three pieces that immediately set the tone for the revived Palms—it’s dramatic, and it’s cool. Cool hasn’t ever really been used to describe the Palms. But a nearly complete $690 million renovation has filled it with a staggering amount of impressive artwork, including works by juggernauts like Takashi Murakami, KAWS, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and, of course, Hirst. It’s an eclectic mix of blue-chip and street art that rarely mingles under one roof, demonstrating the acumen of the hotel’s creative director, Tal Cooperman, and his ability to reflect the current zeitgeist." - Christina Liao
