New Metro Auto Photo Booth Arrives on RMIT’s Bowen Street
- Bennett Davy
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Bowen Street is home to Metro Auto Photo’s newest black-and-white photo booth. The booth has been installed in anticipation of the upcoming RMIT Gallery exhibition Auto Photo: A Life in Portraits, opening on June 6.
This exhibition tells a distinctly Australian story, centred around Alan Adler, known as "the most photographed man in Australia", and recognised as the oldest and longest-serving photo booth technician in the world. Adler passed away in December 2024 at the age of 92.
For over 50 years, Adler maintained a network of photo booths across Melbourne/Narrm, with the most prominent near Flinders Street Station. His work reflects the spirit of local Melbourne communities by documenting individuals throughout his body of work and their shared passion for image-making and creative expression.
RMIT students lined up to have their photos taken on the first day of the booth’s installation, calling it “a perfect spot to capture memories”. The photo booth is expected to attract significant attention and many visitors throughout its run. Advertising student Grace Spano says it is something that would draw attention to the university calling it an “art installation” that is Instagram worthy.
The booth is open for a three-week run until June 2, with a strip of three black-and-white portraits costing $8.
Auto Photo: A Life in Portraits will feature Adler’s extensive archive, alongside additional works by and drawn from the collections of Katherine Griffiths, Mark Holsworth, Kyle Archie Knight, Metro Auto Photo, Patrick Pound, Joshua Smith and more.
Auto Photo: A Life in Portraits is a Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP) exhibition, presented in partnership with RMIT Culture. It is curated by Catlin Langford and Metro Auto Photo.