I went along to a photography exhibition on Melrose Place, Beverly Hills the other night for three recent graduates of art school in the LA area, or to be more accurate an exhibition for some rich LA princesses who had just finished photography school and their parents had banded together to put on an exhibition in a swanky gallery on Melrose to show off their daughters talents.

Sage’s stuff was basically a travel journal from New York back to Los Angeles and was a collage of arbitrary but sometimes exciting pics of the journey. Slugs, surfers and footballers who were met along the way, to friends lounging beside pools looking young, hip and exciting trying desperately to nonchalant and spontaneous. This is not meant to be overly critical, but it certainly wasn’t anything new or particularly exciting (or even well taken).

Gia’s work was better and consisted of a collection of small prints mounted in an aesthetic rhythm one leading onto the next ranging form desolate landscapes, beach balls in pools and rusted tin cans. The shots developed from one to another through a thematic or aesthetic similarity resulting in some very stunning pictures. Yet still I would question reaching into my wallet.

Well if the art wasn’t great at least the place was packed with free drinks and celebrities. At about 930 in walks Paris Hilton – she does look exactly like her pictures and seems to seep perfume form her pours. Later Jason Schwartzman, Ashton Kutcher, that guy from how I met your mother and Marisa Tomei turned up and ended up staying for a couple of hours. Turns out the whole reason all these celebrities came was because of the parents who organized the exhibition. Welcome to Hollywood – Snap.

(These shots are taken from www.thecobrasnake.com)