Anonymity has long fascinated ASA since they first picked up a camera. This striking image was captured in their hometown of Bastia, on the French island of Corsica, during the peak of summer in 2018. “The sun was at its strongest,” ASA explains. “I enjoy working when the light is intense and the building facades are scorched by the sun. Shadows fall sharply, shapes become clearer, colours intensify, and people transform into silhouettes.”
Patience and Light
Positioning themselves discreetly on one side of the street with their iPhone X, ASA waited patiently as strangers passed through the frame. “This woman walked with a certain lightness, almost cheerfully. When I later reviewed the image, I felt she might be heading to an appointment, perhaps even a romantic one. But at that moment, I simply saw a young woman moving, carried by her own energy.”
ASA emphasises that they are never searching for a specific person or narrative, “only for a presence to pass through the light. What matters most is the shape, the movement, and the contrast. I believe the work speaks without needing identity, and I hope it leaves room for people’s imagination. I like it when viewers project their own stories onto a photograph. We are almost all anonymous silhouettes in the street.”
This image is part of ASA’s ongoing exploration of anonymity and light, demonstrating how everyday moments can become art through patience and a keen eye.
