The Moody, Mysterious World Of Pixel Artist, Illustrator And Videographer APO

Pixel artist, illustrator and videographer APO depicts worlds both familiar and strange in his pixel artworks. Influenced by works like Blade Runner and Ghibli movies he watched in his youth, APO’s subjects range from realistic urban landscapes and beautiful natural scenery, to cyberpunk and science-fiction vignettes.

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His GIF animations often feature a lone female character, sometimes two characters in his more recent work, caught in moments of contemplation. There’s a sense of loneliness at times, but the characters often seem at ease in their environments. APO+ is capable of capturing serene moments just as adeptly as he can create incredibly dynamic action scenes.

Many of his works are part of a common world setting. For example, his “Future Lantern” series is set in a future where alien invaders halfway between organic and machine threaten humanity. Only girls with a very rare gene are capable of damaging them, so an organization recruits them, trains them and sends them to do battle against the alien threat.

APO+ was awarded the GIFs2018 Award of Excellence prize for his sci-fi animated GIF “SPHD” (see below). He has also collaborated with companies such as sake maker Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd. and financial service Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co., Ltd. on original art.