Amy Beasley’s abstract images add new depth to Ibiza's sister island
London-based photographer Amy Beasley recently took a day trip from Ibiza to its sister island, Formentera. “You catch a 30-minute ferry to the small island and as soon as you get there, the tempo shifts,” says Beasley. “We hired bikes to explore the island and cycled along the coast to one of the beaches where the water is basically like the Caribbean.”
Her photographs are all shot on film and then painted over with bold, sweeping brushstrokes. “I try not to overthink where or what I paint and just go with my instincts,” she says. From a father with his kid to passing ferries and from the hazy purple salt flats to the azure-coloured sea, Beasley’s photos are snapshots of idyllic summer holidays, but given a whole new dimension through brushstrokes.
In an age of camera phones and Instagram, images have become somewhat disposable – and for Beasley adding the abstract painting changes our perception of an image. Beasley is inspired by the German artist Gerhard Richter’s over-painted photographs, and is trying to bring her photographs – and the moments they capture – to life. “The image has become one of the most important symbols of our generation, yet the images themselves have little longevity,” she says. “We are constantly bombarded with images in advertising or social media. They’re unavoidable. This is the predicament of the digital era, which is something I’m trying to address in my work.”
Words by Iona Goulder for Amuse. View more of Amy's work on her website.