Lucore Gallery's Nautical New Show Is a Treasure Trove of Montauk Art

Ranging from 18-year-old Gianna D’Agostino’s crochet “The Reef That Changed My Mind” to Izlin Weinberg’s “Moto-Octo” piece made from salvaged motorcycle parts and all other scales of art between, The Lucore Gallery has begun its summer season highlighting the impressive talents of local artists with the Under the Sea… By the Water show.

The coastal-themed exhibition, consisting of works by 13 East End artists, will be on view until July 16. After that, the gallery brings Montauk residents and visitors another close-to-home picturesque collection, EAST3, opening July 20.

Here, Christopher Lucore, owner of the Lucore Gallery, discusses the unique styles of art incorporated in the show, including one of his very own pieces, and future plans for another successful summer at the gallery.

What can you tell us about the first summer 2024 exhibition, Under the Sea… By the Water?

I thought Under the Sea… By the Water would be a perfect theme for Montauk in the summer. Montauk is a beach town, and many artists out here are already taking inspiration from the ocean and marine life. So there were already tons of artists here in the Hamptons who were doing this type of work.

I love extreme contrasts in the shows at Lucore Gallery, and I want to bring in art on all ends of the scale. Specifically in this show, I found pieces from different artists that I thought would work together to build that extreme contrast. For example, one of the main pieces in the show is a crochet coral reef by Gianna D’Agostino, who is only 18-years-old. She has worked diligently on this piece, spending 1,500 hours to make it so soft and comfortable. Another unique piece in the show is Izlin Weinberg’s octopus made out of scrapped recycled motorcycle parts.

Since you are a decorated artist yourself and have contributed pieces for the cover of Dan’s Papers, do you have any of your pieces in the current show?

Yes, I do. I have an incredible piece in this show. Over the past year, I have started making my pieces a lot bigger with four-by-five-foot sizes. I made a piece named “Atlas.” It is a take on the god who is being crushed by the weight of the world. However, instead of a man, I created a beautiful woman figure, and instead of being crushed by the weight, she is holding the world as if it is weightless. The world in this piece is all blue, and the figure is right beneath it. So I imagined that it was the sea, and she was under it to fit into the theme.

What was the inspiration for the coastal theme of Under the Sea… By the Water?

Just being out here and being so close to the ocean. I always tell people, for someone who lives in Montauk, I barely get out to the beach because I spend all my time in the gallery. For me, this was a way to bring the beach to me as well.

In this current show, there are quite a few locally based artists that utilize so many scales of art. Is it an important feature to have the gallery filled with local artists?

Yes, one of the things I focus on is giving Montauk that “artist gallery town” presentation. We are so fortunate to have so many artists out here. The Montauk Art Association always holds The Show on the Green twice a year, and over the past three years, that has been a very powerful event for me to go out and meet the artists. I get the opportunity to walk around the fair and see all the work that local artists have been doing. A lot of artists from this current show were pulled from that Show on the Green like Brianna D’Amoto and John Tuttle.

Is there anything else that you would like to add about Under the Sea… By the Water?

The amazing concept about this show is there are 13 artists, and each one of them is doing something unique. Alicia Suarez has a mixed-media piece, Anna Chan has an octopus made of sand and seashells with a three-dimensional presence as a wall piece, and Peter Spacek made a whale with an upcycled surfboard. No two artists in this show are doing the same thing or taking the same approach. For the past few years with the gallery, I have done a lot of solo shows, where we focus on the projects that one specific artist has been working on. The group shows are a great way for me to bring in the contrast to the gallery and allow me to pull from so many talented artists.

What other showcases does Lucore Gallery have planned for the rest of the summer?

Our next show coming up is called EAST3, and it is a collaboration with another local photographer, James Katsipis. This is the third show I will be doing with James, and it is always a pleasure. This upcoming show is a reincarnation of a show that James did 10 years ago, gathering all East End photographers. He picks 30 different photographers, and we are taking one piece from each of them, and all of the pieces have to be East End–centric. After that, there will be a solo show, which will be incredible to go back to abstract for some time. Then in September, there will be an animal show, which will feature art of wild animals. I am always trying to keep the art flowing out here in Montauk.

A reception for Lucore Gallery’s next exhibition, EAST3, takes place on Saturday, July 20, from 5–8 p.m. and will include music by The Montauk Project and a live DJ set by Brion Issacs. To stay up to date on upcoming shows, follow the gallery on Instagram @thelucoreart.

-PARTNER CONTENT