It won’t come as a surprise that artist Tomasz Rossa was once not only a diver, and a high-level one at that — a six-time junior national champion in his native Poland, and later, after moving to the U.S., a competitor in the Seoul Olympics — but a performer as well: He was an original cast member of “O.” (He was also on the creative team for “Le Rêve” and other aquatic shows.) You can see it in his photography, the fluid interplay of athleticism (which is about seeking the perfection of physical form) and graceful performance (which is about embodying emotion). Even the quietest images have a bravura quality that speaks to a performer’s awareness of the audience. Picking up photography in grade school, Rossa has been serious about it since, so it was a natural move to combine his visual and aquatic interests. He’s as adept at choreographing groups as he is in capturing intimate moments of ethereal beauty. Over the years he’s worked with Cirque du Soleil, Wynn Las Vegas, Wanda China, City of Dreams Macau, Celine Dion, Criss Angel and Dragone; his new book “I Found Myself” raises funds for the local gay community. “My driving force,” he says, “is finding the perfect human form expressing emotion.”
www.tomaszrossa.com
— Scott Dickensheets
