Kaoru Usukubo (b. 1981, Tochigi, Japan) is a contemporary artist known for her meticulous realism and poetic, surreal compositions. Her work captures what she calls “crystal moments” — suspended instances between accident and awareness, evoking dreamlike states and subtle psychological depth.

Usukubo earned her BFA from Tokyo Zokei University in 2004, and both MFA (2007) and PhD (2010) in oil painting from Tokyo University of the Arts. She made her solo debut at TARO NASU, Tokyo, in 2007, and has since exhibited internationally at venues such as LOOCK Galerie (Berlin), the Yokohama Triennale (2011), Utsunomiya Museum of Art (2013), and Thalie Art Foundation, Brussels (2015).

Her works are in the collections of Teikyo University and the Sato International Cultural Scholarship Foundation, among others. Recipient of the ZOKEI Award, Sato Foundation Grant, and Holbein Scholarship, Usukubo continues to expand her introspective visual language across the global art scene.