ARIA by Kzuya Ushioda

We are pleased to announce that Kazuya Ushioda has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence at the 28th Annual International Portrait Competition, hosted by the Portrait Society of America. His painting ARIA was selected from thousands of submissions for this honor.

The International Portrait Competition is one of the most prominent juried portrait competitions in the world, open to artists at all levels and in all media. This year's competition received entries from artists worldwide, with finalists announced on March 2, 2026. The Certificate of Excellence recognizes work that demonstrates exceptional technical skill and artistic merit. Awards will be presented at the Art of the Portrait conference in Atlanta, Georgia, April 9–12, 2026.

This recognition adds to a strong run of international acknowledgment for Ushioda. In 2023, he received the Grand Prize at Figurativas in Spain for his painting Grimoire. In 2024, he took first prize in the tempera category at the Titian International Portrait Painting and Sculpture Competition in Italy. Earlier in 2026, the Portrait Society of America awarded him Signature Status, designating him the right to use the PSS designation on all personally created works.

Ushioda works in a two-stage process, building his paintings with a custom water-based medium he developed during his doctoral research at Bunsei University of Art before completing surfaces in oil. His work is held in the permanent collections of the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) in Barcelona and the Hoki Museum in Japan.

Kazuya Ushioda is represented by Abend Gallery.