An upcoming Cutchogue art exhibit may seem unassuming on paper, but step inside the hidden world of the Woodlands show this weekend to be immersed in North Fork culture. The show is curated by two artists with intricate backgrounds inspiring their crafts.
Lin Buckfield, a sculptor and woodworker, and Karine Laval, a photographer, have put their highly acclaimed brains together to display a thought-provoking scene in local couple Sarah Mastracco and Jonathan Baker’s refurbished barn in Cutchogue.
The exhibition is on view from Sept. 20 from 4 to 7 p.m. and Sept. 21 from 12 to 4 p.m., or by appointment, until Oct. 5.
Laval, who was raised near Paris, France, received her first camera at 10 years old. “I was always fascinated by the magic of photography,” she says.
She pursued an impressive path, working as part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization from the age of 21 to 25 years old, then followed her dream of living in New York City.
“I really wanted to have a more adventurous life,” says Laval.
In 1997, she started at a non-profit in Manhattan helping the homeless population. On Sept. 11, 2001, Laval, who was still a practicing photographer on the side, threw on roller blades and went to photograph the first plane that had crashed into the Twin Towers.
When the building began to collapse, Laval almost lost her life diving under scaffolding to save herself. “I really thought I was going to die that day,” says Laval. “So, when I didn’t die, I was like, I have to pursue my passion.”
She has done just that — shooting commissioned murals in major cities, having work featured in major publications and, most recently, curating a panoramic display for the Lilly of the Valley Tea Salon inside the flagship Dior store in New York City.
Buckfield, who was born in Hong Kong and later moved to the United Kingdom, has also pursued an art-filled life, all the while checking off incredible interdisciplinary boxes.
After finishing school, she started a life for herself in Sydney, Australia, joining the rock and roll band Electric Pandas as their lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. The band made albums, toured and grew in popularity, going on to perform as one of the few bands in the Oz for Africa fundraiser in 1985 and opening for Elvis Costello at the Sydney Opera House.
Buckfield also dove into investigative journalism, working for Four Corners, Australia’s longest running current-affairs and documentary-based program. Her vigor for creativity never stopped, however.
“Because I get bored easily, I got into woodwork,” says Buckfield.
In 2014 she moved to New York City with her partner and picked up ceramics. Soon thereafter, she bought a home in Southold, Laval bought in Cutchogue in 2021, and the two artists were connected by a mutual friend. They quickly bonded over their shared experience of being reinvigorated by their moves out east.
“I’ve been a professional artist for 25 years now and it’s been amazing to work with great galleries,” says Laval. “But to also be able to share my work within this community where not everyone is an art collector or is used to going to museums — or just to share it here in a barn, not a space that’s a white cube, but a space that breathes life of the North Fork. It’s inspiring.”
They held their first show at the Cutchogue barn last year, titled Cosmos and Chimeras. This played on Laval’s depiction of the natural North Fork by photographing plants, trees and landscapes, and Buckfield’s intimate, yet life-filled chimera creatures. Due to the success of the show and the true feeling of celebration there, the women decided they’d host a second with the help of Mastracco and Baker.
This year, their work will still hold that same organic weight, but will incorporate even more textures of the North Fork’s environment, with local found objects used to display the art and dynamic components sure to impress visitors.
Learn more about the exhibit and the artists here.
