Special Exhibition “JP IN CONSTRUCTION 2 - The Tokyo Central Post Office Through the Lens of Photographer Hiroyuki Suzuki”

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This exhibition is a reorganized version of the previous special exhibition, “JP in Construction—From the Former Tokyo Central Post Office to Intermediatheque”. For this iteration, we have welcomed photographer Hiroyuki Suzuki as a new collaborator and renamed the exhibition “JP in Construction 2—The Tokyo Central Post Office Through the Lens of Photographer Hiroyuki Suzuki”. This collaborative photography exhibition features a curated selection of previously exhibited photographs documenting the construction of the former Tokyo Central Post Office, supplemented by approximately 30 photographs by Mr. Suzuki. Visitors will be able to experience the “records/memories” captured in sepia tones alongside the “aesthetics” of a contemporary photographer, and sense the time and emotion that lie behind the geometric compositions of each captured moment.

Hiroyuki Suzuki’s subjects are primarily construction sites for large-scale structures. Although these are functional public works that support people’s daily lives or even their very existence, as urban landmarks or as social infrastructure, those not directly involved are not able to catch a glimpse of the unfinished scenes. As far as the general public can tell, the sky suddenly opens up, and before they know it, a massive structure appears out of nowhere. However, the moment one steps into that closed-off space-time, caught between a taut sense of tension and silence, one is reminded of the fact that we are confronting the earth itself. In other words, the human endeavor—where concrete, steel, and soil intermingle to build upon the earth’s surface—is a confrontation with nature that we might otherwise forget in urban spaces.
At the construction site encompassing the Tokyo Central Post Office—a project that began in 2009—Suzuki visited the site countless times over the four years leading up to its completion in 2013, taking thousands of photographs. Though the technical aspects differ, the scenes captured there are indistinguishable from the documentary photographs of the construction of the old Tokyo Central Post Office in the early Shōwa period. The “fleeting moments” of the construction site as seen through his sensibility are not a form of ruin-like nostalgia, but rather an aesthetic captivated by the “majestic mass, the form without a complete outline, and the will inherent in the process” emanating from the materials—and perhaps a “constructive” message for the next generation. The artistic monochrome compositions captured on a single sheet of paper even remind us that they sometimes harbor a sense of volume and emotion so profound it feels almost overwhelming.


●Key Information
Title: Special Exhibition “JP IN CONSTRUCTION 2 - The Tokyo Central Post Office Through the Lens of Photographer Hiroyuki Suzuki”
Dates: July 28, 2026 – October 4, 2026
Opening Hours: 11:00 – 18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)
*Opening hours may change.
Closed: Mondays (or the following Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday; however, the museum is open on August 11 and 18) and September 1–8. May close irregularly.
Venue: Intermediatheque 2F [GREY CUBE]
Admission: Free of charge
Organizer: The University Museum, The University of Tokyo (UMUT)
Address: KITTE 2–3F, 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN
Access: JR lines and Tokyo Metro Marunouchi line Tokyo Station (Marunouchi South Exit). Nijubashimae Station (Exit 4) on the Chiyoda Line (about 2 minutes on foot).

●Contact
+81-47-316-2772
From Japan: 050-5541-8600 (NTT Hello Dial Service)

●Interview application
press@intermediatheque.jp

● Hiroyuki Suzuki Profile
Representative, JUNKO KOSHINO
Produces JUNKO KOSHINO’s fashion shows both in Japan and abroad. Has been active as a photographer in earnest since 2006.
His photography is based on the core concept of “A MOMENT”, capturing the fleeting compositions and materials that temporarily appear at construction sites.

● Main Exhibits
From The Tokyo Central Post Office by Photographer Hiroyuki Suzuki ©h.Suzuk