Antonakos is an abstract formalist and a pioneer in new uses of neon in art since 1960. His work is related to Minimalism in its intention to be seen as "real things in real space in the here and now." He has a particular interest in bringing the architecture and the space of the site into the viewer's experience.

Taking the white square as a classical geometric starting-point, and given the artist's restrained execution, these four Panels show how very different feelings and meanings may result from subtle formal and chromatic variations.

Begun in the early 1980s, the Panels are distinguished for presenting most of their neon simply as immaterial colored light around their edges. The intensity of this light varies:  as natural light dims late in the day, the colored auras spread out increasingly onto the walls and into the surrounding space. The glows, which draw inspiration from the ethereal beauty of Byzantine icons, permeate the space around them and create a sense of serenity.