INTERVIEWS

Diana Soria Hernandez (Mexico 1983) is a visual artist focused on the exploration of Performance art in the intersection with video, ceramics and installation. She studied her BA in Fine Arts at ENPEG La Esmeralda in Mexico City, an MFA in Printmaking by theAcademy of Fine Arts Helsinki and an MA in Live Art and Performance Studies at the Theatre Academy Helsinki. Her work has been shown internationally in exhibitions and festivals in 15 countries.
Her practice includes self-organised events as an effort to contextualize and expand views on Latin America in Finland. She has received several grants by the Finnish Cultural Foundation (2024, 2018) Kone Foundation (2019-2020, 2017); an international residency at La Chambre blanche by CALQ and FONCA (2023) among others.

STATEMENT
Performance art is my main discipline since action, process, intuition and reaction are at the core of my interests. I see performance art as a possibility to experiment and learn something new of who we are as humans, beyond representation. The performance art I am interested in unfolds beyond mediating through decorations and production values. I believe in art in a way of what is held in the undefined, what cannot be grasped through exact words. I want to create an art that flows in the undefined and can hold open interpretations, revealing who we are.

Performance art is my main discipline since action, process, intuition and reaction are at the core of my interests. I see performance art as a possibility to experiment and learn something new of who we are as humans, beyond representation. The performance art I am interested in unfolds beyond mediating through decorations and production values. I believe in art in a way of what is held in the undefined, what cannot be grasped through exact words, what is open to interpretations and fluid, revealing like a subjective mirror, who we are.

Roi Vaara (born July 17, 1953, in Moss, Norway) is a Finnish performance artist. Vaara studied in the general evening course at the University of Applied Sciences in 1972–1975 and art research at the University of Jyväskylä in 1976–1977.

Vaara has presented around 300 different performances. His works have been exhibited in about 200 international exhibitions and festivals in more than 30 countries. Vaara was awarded the Ars Fennica award in 2005. In 2010, Vaara was awarded the Pro Finlandia badge of honor. The President of the Republic awarded him the title of Academician of Arts in March 2023.

Check out the interviews with the mentor of Sidewalk 2nd Ed. 2025 and some of the lecturers from the program.