Dunno, I find it hard to believe that in 1968 communist Czech republic there would be anyone not able to afford a cheap used soviet or german camera.
He still had to buy film and chemicals to process it (unless there's another story how he made film and chemicals himself from dirt on the streets).

Overall, imho, this is just a nice story attached to a few messed up images with some nods towards pictorialism.
But since some "artists" deemed this as "art", well I guess it definitely has to be "art".