Born 17th of July 1953 in Moss, Norway from Finnish parents. Lives in Helsinki. He studied art at the University of Arts and Design, in Helsinki 1972-75 and art history at Jyväskylä University 1976-77. He has worked with various media in visual arts and exhibited paintings, drawings, videos, installations and performances. He is best known for his performances, which he has done since 1982. Roi Vaara has said: “”Instead of making an art object I am one. I do action instead of production.”” He has performed in most European countries and also in The United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan and Mexico. He is one of the founders of artists’ association MUU (1987 in Helsinki). He has been a member of the famous performance group Black Market International since 1988. He has lectured and run workshops in many art colleges, universities and academies of fine art since 1989.