Omega Mart Unveils Exhibit Expansion, “Mega Art Zone”

By Scott Roeben, on September 09 2022
4 min read 1 comment
Las Vegas Things to Do in Las Vegas

The attraction we dubbed “The Best Non-Gambling Thing To Do in the History of Las Vegas” just got even, well, bester.

Omega Mart recently added a new art display outside its venue at Area 15, dubbed the “Mega Art Zone.”

The “Mega Art Zone” is described as being the first major exhibit expansion since Omega Mart opened on Feb. 18, 2021.

Welcome to Omega Mart, where nothing is what it appears to be, unless it appears to be weird, in which case, yep, that’s Omega Mart.

The extension of Omega Mart’s exterior serves a number of purposes: It gives guests a glimpse into the “lore” of Omega Mart, supports local artists, generates revenue and subtly pays homage to one of the co-founders of Meow Wolf (the company that brought Omega Mart to Las Vegas) who recently passed away, Matt King.

One of the challenges of Omega Mart has always been describing it. It’s that unique and original.

Here’s one of the best descriptions we’ve seen of Omega Mart: “Omega Mart is like if Disneyland had a love child with Tim Burton.” We should know, that’s how we described it.

It’s part art museum, part twisted grocery store, all with a story that adds layers of enjoyment to the experience.

Oh, and there’s bar.

You can read more of our unapologetic cheerleading about Omega Mart here.

The green money tubes were inside Omega Mart from day one, now there’s a backstory around where the money’s coming from (it’s being sucked from the vending machines below). Just go with it.

On our first visit to Omega Mart, we missed the “story” part of the attraction. We still loved it. We just loved it more during our next visit when we went down the rabbit hole of the storytelling.

Part of the Omega Mart story involves a company called Dramcorp. The folks at Omega Mart (Meow Wolf) have created an elaborate story around Dramcorp, and there’s even a Web site for the non-existent company that sounds like it’s up to no good.

Long story short, there are those who are doing battle against Dramcorp, and those rebels had a hand in “defacing” the vending machines in Omega Mart’s “Mega Art Zone.” The resistance movement against Dramcorp is called Monolith.

Anyway, that explains why the artwork in the new “Mega Art Zone” looks more like vandalism than traditional art.

Props to the imaginary resistance sticking it to the imaginary The Man.

Speaking of art, the new display has two functioning art vending machines. The machines have art from local Las Vegas artists.

Art vending machines are also a thing at Cosmopolitan.

We spent $5 on a piece of art because Las Vegas artists need all the help they can get.

We are a longtime resident of this particular zone.

The items in the vending machines are quirky and difficult to describe, much like Omega Mart, actually.

This $20 item is like the Electric Daisy Carnival version of Cousin Itt.

A third vending machine has been “defaced” by the resistance, and features a “propaganda” monitor.

Resistance to the resistance is futile.

As always, Omega Mart masterfully does commerce while commenting on consumerism.

Here’s a closer look at the merchandise which you can’t purchase in the ruined vending machine.

Everything in this machine looks like it’s been locked in a car in Las Vegas in August.

Omega Mart also does layers, which also applies to the “Mega Art Zone.” You can enjoy it on the surface, or look closer and explore it more deeply.

One of the geniuses behind the Omega Mart concept was Matt King. King committed suicide on July 9, 2022 at age 37, which shocked and dismayed the folks at Omega Mart and Meow Wolf, as well as fans of his work who never even knew who King was (including us).

Meow Wolf decided it would find a way to give King a shout-out in its new display. They did so by integrating his initials, and one of King’s favorite symbols, rainbows, into the display.

Gone too soon, but not really gone.

Making the “memorial” especially poignant is the fact the exhibit expansion was unveiled on King’s birthday, Sep. 6.

King’s thumbprints are all over Omega Mart, and that’s quite a legacy, as the attraction has already entertained innumerable visitors and locals, and we’ve rarely visited when there wasn’t a line down the length of Area 15.

Area 15 is sort of an experiential mall, with lots to do and see, and it’s adding new venues and partners all the time.

To enter Area 15, you must pass through the “A hole.”

As we said, we’re a huge fan of Omega Mart, and it’s awesome Meow Wolf’s team continues to find ways to enhance the experience.

Omega Mart is a portal into an alternate reality. It’s funny and dark and confounding and revelatory. Omega Mart is all your senses turned on their head while wearing boxer briefs made of ground beef.

Now, there’s more of it.

This is a portion of the artists (more than 300 of them) involved in creating Omega Mart. Here’s everyone.

Here’s the official Web site of Omega Mart, not the Omega Mart attraction, but the bent grocery store many people think is what Omega Mart is. It isn’t. Omega Mart, the store, is just the tip of the demented iceberg.

And here’s the Web site about Omega Mart the attraction, or as Omega Mart puts it, the “immersive art experience.”

None of this is going to help you understand what Omega Mart is all about. Which is sort of the point. Figuring things out is highly overrated.

Omega Mart is the Las Vegas experience you didn’t even know you need, and possibly didn’t know exists.

Trust us on this one, you need to go.

We’ll meet you in the portal. It’s behind the deli counter. One of them, anyway.