APAK is an acronym for Aaron Piland and Ayumi Kajikawa Piland, a husband and wife collaborative visual art duo based in Portland, Oregon. They are known in particular for creating rich and colorful gouache and [acrylic] paintings on wood featuring the utopian lives and adventures of curious little beings living in a lush organic fantastic environments surrounded by friendly little animals, the landscapes are familiar yet surreal, hinting at a fantastic narrative while suggesting truths about the real world at the same time.

The pair met at Kendall College of Art and Design in 1998 while majoring in illustration and formed APAK with the intention of "inspiring fascination and wonder" Soon after graduation in 1999 they were married but continued under the name APAK. After spending some time absorbing inspiration in Japan they moved to Portland in 2005 where they began painting collaboratively after being invited to show with Bwana Spoons and Tim Biskup at Compound Gallery in Portland, Oregon. <ref>http://www.dailyvanguard.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=037a9369-32ac-4174-a717-cbe6d524b50f</ref> Since then their work has been shown at galleries and museums nationally as well as internationally including Giant Robot Bienalle at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles and Outre Gallery in Melbourne Australia. There art has been featured in a number of magazines including Juxtapoz <ref>Issue #71 pg. 63</ref>, Hi-Fructose <ref>Issue#6 pg.10</ref>, and Pencil Fight <ref>Issue#3 pg.36</ref>. In 2008 Dark Horse Comics published a Deluxe Journal and Stationary set titled "Happy Hermits".

External links

* Official Apak Website

/www.apakstudio.com/storytime.jpg"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="deleted_articles_ext"> target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="deleted_articles_ext">[1526 by APAK, "Storytime", 2007. Stolen from Compound Gallery, Portland, OR.]

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