Charles Swedlund: No Small Pictures

Stephen Daiter Gallery is pleased to present No Small Pictures, an exhibition of photographs by Charles Swedlund. Enabled by advances in contemporary imaging and printing technologies, these large-scale works reveal rich detail and texture, inviting close and immersive viewing. The exhibition also features a selection of previously unseen large-scale photograms, highlighting Swedlund’s enduring engagement with photographic processes, their limits, and his imaginative spirit.

For more than six decades, Swedlund has expanded the expressive and material boundaries of photography. Best known for his square-format figurative images, he frequently centers the female form, exploring movement, gesture, and subtle shifts in shape, often layering multiple exposures within a single frame. He has developed deep expertise in color photography, particularly the dye transfer process, continually experimenting with film, lenses, papers, and chemistry. His curiosity extends beyond technique to historical processes and inventive formats, resulting in limited-edition books, photo puzzles, and even vending machine photo buttons.

Born in Chicago in 1935, Swedlund discovered photography as a teenager using an 8mm movie camera and a basement darkroom. He studied at the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology under Aaron Siskind and Harry Callahan, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees through rigorous photographic experimentation. Over a long career, including nearly three decades at Southern Illinois University, he has shaped generations of photographers while continuing his own inventive work. His publications, including Photography: A Handbook of History, Materials and Processes (1974), and his work are held in major public collections such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. Now in his nineties, Swedlund continues to produce inventive images, underscoring his enduring commitment to and passion for the photographic medium.