Sydney's Powerhouse Museum presents 'Glitterati': the work of Robert Rosen

Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum is playing host to Glitterati, an exhibition of nearly 1000 images created by renowned Australian social photographer Robert Rosen. 

Glitterati shares with the world the great intrigue of social photography and showcases just how prolific a photographer Rosen has been throughout his decades-long career. 

Described as a ‘participant observer’, Rosen has always had a unique way of capturing moments and social interactions.

Rather than acting brashly or intrusively, characteristics which are often synonymous with the paparazzi, Rosen was polite and discreet in his image-making, which earned him the trust of his subjects, and allowed him to blend into the scene around him.

This ability to easily find his place in a room or a crowd, allowed him to capture particularly intimate and interesting portraits of his subjects that really embodied the mood and feeling of the moments unfolding before him. 

Having spent four decades photographing every social setting from parties, to concerts, to fashion shows and nightclubs, the exhibition features photographs that fall into a range of thematic categories from throughout his career.

Of particular interest is the ‘Kissing Wall’. Speaking on this collection of images, Rosen shared, “There was something electric about it – that you captured in the photo, you could actually feel it. Everywhere I went, every time I saw or felt somebody was going to kiss someone else, I would spin around and get the shot.”  

Glitterati is open to the public now and is set to run until 19 June 2022. To find out more details about the exhibition, you can visit the Museum’s website here.