Jonathan Grado

I’m grateful to share that my series Saint Citrus is featured in F-Stop Magazine’s Issue #135 exhibition, “Objects.” Two photographs from the series, Formation of Thought #02 and Preservation, are included in the show.

I first photographed Saint Citrus back in 2023, which required buying way, way too many oranges (all donated to a food shelter right after the shoot). Since then I’ve been thinking about how to expand its narrative and also buy the appropriate amount of fruit. The series centers on showing the creative process and ideas of convincing strength through surreal still life.

I recently returned to the studio to expand Saint Citrus with new characters (props, not actual humans) and new scenes. This involved floating oranges, steaming blue and beige velvet, opening umbrellas indoors (!) and collecting impractically shaped glass. Two weeks after buying too much velvet, several of these new works were selected for F-Stop’s “Objects” exhibition. I’m very appreciative to their team for including the work.

Saint Citrus also received recognition from LensCulture this year, where Saint Citrus #01 was named an Editors’ Pick in the Art Photography competition (2026). Separately, one of my black and white photographs was selected as an Editors’ Pick in LensCulture’s Black & White competition (2025). Saint Citrus #01 was previously selected by Homiens Gallery as well.

Thank you to both F-Stop and LensCulture for the support.

Saint Citrus is an ongoing conceptual still life series exploring creative consciousness, devotion to ideas, and the tension between inspiration and inaction through symbolic objects and staged surreal environments. And oranges.