vip in the city

Jeremy Kost exhibit

At the The Gallery of the SoHo Grand for a reception for the new exhibition by celebrity photographer Jeremy Kost’s “Not a Play Area.” Kost, who was the subject of a recent New York Times profile, is known for his unique use of a clunky Polaroid camera to capture scenes from the vibrant and gritty New York City nightlife and fame culture. Kost’s low-tech and intimate approach to celebrity portrait photography has earned him the reputation of the new “anti-paparazzi.” He is regular contributor to GIANT Magazine and is the sole artist behind his site, RoidRage.Com.

Provocative, blown-up Polaroids and sculpture lined the walls of the paneled gallery, which began to fill over the course of the night. It occured to me that this was just the sort of event Kost himself might mine for subject material; his previous coverage has included the Mission Impossible 3  premiere, the Independent Spirit Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards. How meta. Kost did eventually make an appearance that night to mingle among the crowds – albeit without his trusty camera.

Interspersed among the snapshots of famous faces, there are glittered club kids and elaborately made-up drag queens, offering a colorful representation of New York’s nightclub denizens, reminding us that somewhere, “the scene” still means much more than “models and bottles.”

“Not a Play Area” is on view through April 15, 2007.