Janis Rafailidou
BIOGRAPHY

As a visual artist Janis has concentrated on media technologies -qualifications on
filmaking and postproduction, photography, animation (including drawing)- combined with environmental installations. Her work combines experimental documetary practices with fictional senarios that explore the notion of border lines, ‘heterotopias’, inbetween space-times and migration. Her current projects are all based on a performative and visual research where the artist acts as a trans-cultural traveller.

Born in 1984 in Athens, Greece, the last seven years Janis studies in UK. She has been awarded by ‘Arts and Hummanities Research Council’ with a scholarship both for her PhD (2007-2010)and MA (2006-2007) in Fine Art postgraduate course, at the University of Leeds. Also, she has been nominated by AXIS as one of the ‘Selected Graduates’ and has been awarded by the Leeds Art Fair 2008 as ‘Best Newcomer’.

The past four years she has exhibited in group shows and commissioned events in Leeds and Athens. She has also
participated and collaborated with the following organisations: Athens Voice newspaper, Henry Moore Institute,
Leeds City Library, Situation Leeds Festival, Light Night 2007, the Black Dogs, BBC Leeds, Leeds Visual Arts Forum.

This year she was selected to show in an exhibition in Leeds, organised by Project Spase Leeds and Whitechapel Gallery.
Also, she exhibited at the Leeds Art Gallery along Georgina Starr, Annelies Strba and Rosalind Nashashibi in 2008 and
participated at the Independent Liverpool Biennial 08.

During her BA graduation from the University of Leeds (2006), she received national and international coverage
by media and press such as The Times, Sunday Times, Yorkshire Post, Daily Mirror, BBC National TV News, BBC Radio,
and Geek Newspapers & Radio.

Janis assisted the 1st Athens Biennial (2007) and worked for Henry Moore Institute. Also, she teaches at the BA Fine Art
at the University of Leeds and workes as a visiting artist in universities, including Norwich University Colleage of the
Arts and Leeds Collage of Art.