by Debbie Tuma
Now there’s a chance to see incredible professional photography for sale at The Lucore Art Gallery in Montauk, through July 15. Their new exhibition, “Sea Between,” features fourteen artists whose work reveals the often-overlooked beauty in the world around us. Through film, digital photography, and mixed media collage, these artists invite us to pause and reconsider our surroundings with fresh eyes.
Featured photographers include Anahi DeCanio, Batholomew Schwarz, Christina Napolillo, Dalton Portella, Grant Monahan, Harold Naideau, James Katsipis, Jarrett Steil, Joanna Steidle, Luciano Sapienza, Richard Silver, Ryan Sherman, Steven Corsano, and Tony Caramanico.
The show offers a rich variety of perspectives: DeCanio blends photography with mixed media for layered, painterly results; Schwarz transforms a familiar Montauk neon sign into a glowing tribute; Napolillo captures Montauk wrapped in mist and light; Steidle brings us aerial glimpses of marine life with an artistic lens; Katsipis offers a breathtaking view of Salivar’s night time glow; and Lou Sapienza shares a historic photograph of the Montauk Lighthouse’s Fresnel lens taken on Labor Day in 1986. Corsano’s work, meanwhile, looks into the often-ignored corners of our environment to find subtle beauty.
Together, the featured works illuminate the mystery and depth hidden in plain sight, asking us to reconsider what we think we know about the place we live in and the moments we pass by.
“I’m stoked about this show,” said gallery owner Chris Lucore. “These are all local East End artists, and they all have a unique and distinctive vision. I do a photography show every year, and I always try to hit a part of Montauk’s culture. I wanted unconventional photos that make people look deeper into their world.”
This is Lucore’s fifth year in business, and he does an art show every three weeks, from March to December.
Lou Sapienza, of Montauk and Maine, took three trips up and down the steps of the Montauk Lighthouse to shoot his photo of the Fresnel Lens back in 1986.
“I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, for lighting and weather,” said Sapienza, of Montauk and Maine. “I had to go up and down all the steps three times to get the right equipment to shoot it. I call it “Golden Light.” Sapienza, who worked as a line cook at Gosman’s Restaurant for 10 years during the 1970’s, also has some seafaring photos in this show.
The surfing culture is also prominent in Montauk, and Christina Napolillo captures much of this in her work. Her photo in the show, of a surfboard on top of a car, with the Montauk Lighthouse in the background on a hazy day, is called “In the Midst.”
“I always bring my camera while traveling and surfing,” said Napollilo, of Amagansett. “I love the beachy surf vibe, and I attended a surf photography retreat in Indonesia, on the island of Lombok.” She has also taken photos while surfing in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Brazil and California.