Daphne (Form 2)
Graphite on clay board, 45.5 x 61 cm, 2024
 
Artwork Statement
Janie Platakis’s works explore the representation of women in Greek mythology, drawing from her personal experience as part of the Greek Diaspora in Australia. Using graphite and mixed media, her practice bridges ancient myths with contemporary life and personal memory. More recently, she has worked with text and installation, creating fragmented “poems” that evoke multiple meanings. Themes of feminism, spirituality, and ecology are woven throughout, reflecting her belief in myth’s enduring relevance to modern social issues.
 
Artist Bio
Janie Platakis is a Melbourne-based visual artist whose practice investigates the roles and representations of women in Greek mythology through a contemporary feminist lens. As a member of the Greek diaspora in Australia, Platakis engages with myth not only as cultural inheritance but as a living narrative—one that continues to shape and reflect personal identity, spirituality, and societal structures.
Working primarily with graphite drawing, mixed media, and installation, Platakis weaves together mythological archetypes, personal memory, and socio-political commentary. Her more recent works incorporate language and text to form installations that she likens to “poems”—fragmented, non-linear, and open to multiple interpretations. This idea of fragmentation is central to her approach, reflecting the ruptured and evolving nature of myth itself: stories altered by time, translation, and retelling. Platakis’s work frequently intersects with themes of feminism, ecology, and spiritual symbolism, grounding ancient narratives within contemporary discourse.