Grand Opening of TOKYO MIDTOWN HIBIYA HALL
Contemporary Artist Yuichi Hirako Exhibition HUMAN AND NATURE
Saturday, September 5 to Sunday, October 18
- Featuring Approximately 300 Works, Including the Debut of a New Series,
and a Large-Scale Sculpture to be Exhibited in the First Floor Step Square -
July 22, 2026
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Tokyo, Japan, July 22, 2026 - Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, today announced that it will open TOKYO MIDTOWN HIBIYA HALL on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, as a new event hub unique to the Hibiya district, where culture, art, and entertainment intersect with business. To commemorate this opening, the venue will host HUMAN AND NATURE, an exhibition by internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Yuichi Hirako, from Saturday, September 5 to Sunday, October 18.
■ Urban Development That Integrates Urban Functions, Arts and Culture, and the Natural Environment, and the Role of the New Hall
TOKYO MIDTOWN HIBIYA takes full advantage of its location adjacent to a spacious green space to create an urban environment where business, arts and culture, and the natural environment coexist in harmony. To date, it has regularly hosted culturally enriching events such as HIBIYA BLOSSOM and HIBIYA LIVE FESTIVAL / HIBIYA CINEMA FESTIVAL, with the goal of providing forward-looking experiences and creating new value that stimulates visitors’ sensibilities.
The opening of the hall intends to establish a new hub originating in Hibiya for communicating culture and business to a wider audience, while generating a ripple effect throughout the surrounding area. This inaugural exhibition marking the hall’s grand opening was inspired by Hirako’s artistic approach, which consistently explores the relationship between human society and nature and resonates deeply with Hibiya’s urban vision, where lush greenery and the bustle of the city coexist. Approximately 12,917 ft2 (approx. 1,200 m2), the newly renovated open hall will host the exhibition, which makes full use of the entire venue to explore the boundaries between nature and cities, and between control and coexistence.
■ A Large-Scale Installation Featuring Approximately 300 Works, Including the Debut of a New Series, and Mobiles Reaching Approximately 11 Feet (3.5 Meters)
The exhibition features an installation that makes use of the entire venue space, creating an opportunity for visitors to once again reflect deeply on the relationships between people and plants, and between cities and nature. The exhibition will feature approximately 300 works in total, including new paintings and sculptures, as well as a collection of mobiles measuring up to approximately 11 ft (3.5 m) that are currently being created for this exhibition and will be unveiled for the first time.
Hirako’s signature motif of human-like figures with plant heads will appear throughout the venue, as well as unexpectedly within the cityscape of Hibiya, amid the rhythms of urban life. The presence of these humorous figures will serve as the entry point toward deeper reflection on the relationship between humans and nature in modern society. Inside the venue, a softly curving wooden structure and an extensive collection of artworks using diverse materials will accentuate the contrast on a scale never seen before. Through large-scale installations, paintings, and a new body of works debuting at this exhibition, visitors will feel as though they themselves have been drawn into the space.
[Left] Lost in Thought 258, 2026 © Yuichi Hirako, photo by Osamu Sakamoto
[Right] Wooden Wood 233, 2026 / Acrylic paint on wood / Approx. H29 × W14 × D7 in (H75.0 × W38.0 × D20.0 cm)
■ Installations Involving Facility Tenants and Outdoor Areas
The exhibition will extend its concept into food and products through multifaceted collaborations with facility shops and spaces, while also exhibiting a large-scale, three-dimensional art piece in Step Square at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya.
Collaborations (Food and Products)
“I’m donut?” × Yuichi Hirako Collaboration Donuts
A special collaboration will be held with the popular nama (fresh) donut shop “I’m donut?”
The donuts will be available for purchase in a limited-edition collaboration box featuring an original design by Yuichi Hirako created especially for this project.
[Sales location] Sixth-floor hall * Limited quantities available each day
[Brand website] https://peaceput.com/brand/im-donut/ (in Japanese)
[Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/i.m.donut/ (in Japanese)
NEUTRALWORKS. x Yuichi Hirako Collaboration T-shirt
Yuichi Hirako’s artwork has been printed on a T-shirt from the wellness brand NEUTRALWORKS.
This special item will be available only at the exhibition.
[Sales location] NEUTRALWORKS. HIBIYA, third floor of TOKYO MIDTOWN HIBIYA
[Quantity] 50 T-shirts
[Brand website] https://www.neutralworks.jp (in Japanese)
[Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/neutralworks/ (in Japanese)
Events during the Exhibition (Tours, Workshops, and Talks)
Gallery Tours and Autograph Sessions
Guided tours led by Yuichi Hirako and Yuji Akimoto, the exhibition supervisor, will be held, along with autograph sessions.
[Date and time] Saturday, September 5
・11:00–11:30 | Gallery Tour (Tour 1)
[Eligibility/Fee] Maximum 20 participants / Free admission (advance reservation required)
[Location] Sixth-floor hall
・13:00–14:00 | Autograph Session
[Location] Sixth-floor hall
・15:00–15:30 | Gallery Tour (Tour 2)
[Eligibility/Fee] Maximum 20 participants / Free admission (advance reservation required)
[Location] Sixth-floor hall
Workshop and Autograph Session with Yuichi Hirako
After viewing the exhibition with commentary from Yuichi Hirako, participants will create their own artwork in this special workshop by combining their individual images of humans, nature, and plants along with motifs from his work.
[Date and time] Saturday, September 12
・11:00–12:00｜Children’s Workshop
[Eligibility/Fee] Ages five to junior high school students (preschoolers must be accompanied by a parent or guardian) / Free admission * Artwork will be created on a single sheet of paper
[Location] Ninth-floor Conference Room 6
・14:00–16:00｜Adult Workshop
[Eligibility/Fee] Maximum 20 participants / Fee required (Exhibition ticket + 3,000 yen)
* A blank picture book will be used
[Location] Ninth-floor Conference Room 6
・17:00–18:00｜Autograph Session
[Location] Sixth-floor hall
Talk and Autograph Session
Yuji Akimoto and Yuichi Hirako will discuss the concepts behind the artworks and the roles that art plays in cities from multiple perspectives.
[Date and time] Monday, September 28
・13:00–14:00｜Talk Session (Yuji Akimoto x Yuichi Hirako)
[Eligibility/Fee] Fee required (Exhibition ticket + 500 yen)
[Location] Eighth-floor Conference Rooms 1 and 2
・17:00–18:00｜Autograph Session
[Location] Sixth-floor hall
■ Artist Profile
Yuichi Hirako
Born in 1982 in Okayama and based in Tokyo.
Yuichi Hirako graduated from the Wimbledon College of Arts in the U.K. with a degree in painting in 2006. His artwork explores the coexistence of humans with plants and nature, as well as the ambiguities and questions that arise from these relationships.
Prompted by a sense of unease he felt when defining plants controlled by humans (such as houseplants, street trees, and plants in parks) as “nature,” he continues to explore the boundaries between humans and nature in modern society through his art.
While his artwork mainly consists of paintings, he also expresses himself through a variety of media, including drawings, sculptures, installations, and sound performances.
He has actively exhibited internationally, including in South Korea, Taiwan, the U.K. and the U.S.
< Comment >
TOKYO MIDTOWN HIBIYA is located in the heart of a major city that has been highly refined and streamlined. Here, I would like to express the unavoidable question of how should we interact with nature and plants in a modern world optimized by anthropocentrism?
Although many developed countries have been widely proclaiming slogans such as environmental conservation and the SDGs, I wonder if, in the shadows of these initiatives, the authentic, raw nature that we truly need to address is being forgotten. Is the nature we turn to for healing actually nothing more than a highly controlled, artificial phenomenon that is being managed for human convenience?
The HUMAN AND NATURE exhibition presents the contradictions of nature in cities, which have always been incorporated into human designs, as well as boundaries that cannot be clearly defined. By placing these works at the center of a highly developed modern society, what will viewers discover there? I personally am looking forward to this attempt to challenge the contours of the world as defined by society.
Scenes from the 2025 Setouchi Art Museum Link Project: Yuichi Hirako ORIGIN Exhibition held at the Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art
© Yuichi Hirako, photo by Osamu Sakamoto
■ Planner and Supervisor Profile
Yuji Akimoto
Artistic Director of GO FOR KOGEI.
Professor Emeritus of the Tokyo University of the Arts, Specially Appointed Director at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Honorary Professor at the Tainan National University of the Arts, and art critic. Yuji Akimoto was born in Tokyo in 1955 and graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Tokyo University of the Arts. He has been involved with Naoshima art projects since 1991.
He has served as Artistic Director of Benesse Art Site Naoshima / Director of the Chichu Art Museum (2004 to 2006), Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (2007 to 2017), Director and Professor of the University Art Museum at the Tokyo University of the Arts (2015 to 2021), and Director of the Nerima Art Museum (2017 to 2023). He currently serves as Artistic Director of GO FOR KOGEI.
His major projects and exhibitions include The Standard and Naoshima Standard 2 (Naoshima); the first three iterations of the International Triennale of Kogei in Kanazawa (Kanazawa and Caotun, Taiwan); Art Crafting towards the Future (Kanazawa and New York, U.S.); Yu-ichi Inoue 1916–1985—La calligraphie libérée, an official program at Japonismes 2018 (Paris and Albi, France); and Art as It Is: Expressions from the Obscure (Tokyo). His publications include Art Thinking (PRESIDENT Inc., 2019).
< Comment >
The plant-headed figures painted by Yuichi Hirako are not symbols praising nature or criticizing human society. His artworks exist between humans and nature, cities and forests, and reality and imagination, lingering as “observers” quietly looking at the world. This exhibition features paintings and sculptures that form a single landscape, into which visitors can enter and share time with these works of art. Rather than telling a story, the exhibition creates a landscape, enabling visitors to experience the essence of his art.
■ Exhibition Overview
| Title | HUMAN AND NATURE |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Saturday, September 5 to Sunday, October 18, 2026 * Open every day during the exhibition period |
| Exhibition hours | 11:00–20:00 (last admission at 19:30) |
| Venue | TOKYO MIDTOWN HIBIYA sixth-floor hall |
| Address | TOKYO MIDTOWN HIBIYA, 1-1-2 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| Admission | Online tickets: Adults 2,000 yen / University and vocational school students 1,500 yen / Junior and senior high school students 1,000 yen / Elementary school students and younger: Free Same-day tickets: Adults 2,200 yen / University and vocational school students 1,600 yen / Junior and senior high school students 1,100 yen / Elementary school students and younger: Free |
| Ticket sales | Tickets go on sale from Wednesday, July 22, 2026, through various ticketing services (scheduled) |
| Ticket services | MSP Ticket / ArtSticker / ART PASS / asoview! / Lawson Ticket / Peatix |
| Organizer | Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. |
| Supervision/Planning | Yuji Akimoto, Yuichi Hirako Studio |
| Certified as | ARTE (Tokyo International Festival of Arts and Culture) Partner Program |
* This event will be presented as a certified program of the ARTE (Tokyo International Festival of Arts and Culture) Partner Program.
[Official website] https://www.hibiya.tokyo-midtown.com/humanandnature.yuichihirako/ (in Japanese)
About TOKYO MIDTOWN HIBIYA
TOKYO MIDTOWN HIBIYA is a mixed-use complex comprising offices, shops, restaurants, movie theaters, and other facilities. Leveraging the refined culture of the Hibiya area, known as a district of cinema and theater, as well as its proximity to the lush greenery of Hibiya Park, the complex aims to provide forward-looking experiences and create new value that stimulates visitors’ sensibilities.
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/business/development/tokyo_midtown_hibiya/
■ Sustainability in the Mitsui Fudosan Group
Based on the meaning of its “& mark,” “to generate new value with society through cooperation, coexistence and cocreation, we forge ahead, innovating,” the Mitsui Fudosan Group views the “creation of social value” and the “creation of economic value” as two wheels of a cart. Accordingly, we believe that the creation of social value leads to the creation of economic value, and that this economic value then creates even greater social value.
Moreover, we identified six Group Materiality priority issues when formulating our new management philosophy in April 2024. These Group Materiality priority issues are (1) Contribute to industrial competitiveness, (2) Coexist with the environment, (3) Health and Vitality, (4) Safety and security, (5) Diversity and inclusion, and (6) Compliance and governance. The Mitsui Fudosan Group will work to address each of the materialities through its core business activities and contribute to the promotion of sustainability.
(References)
・ Group Management Philosophy and Long-Term Vision
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/innovation2030/
・ Group Materiality
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/esg_csr/approach/materiality/
・ & EARTH for Nature
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/business/development/earth/for-nature/
Furthermore, in April 2025, the Mitsui Fudosan Group formulated “& EARTH for Nature,” its declaration of coexistence with the environment in neighborhood creation. Seeing the environment as a “Holistic Environment” blending nature, people, and community into a cohesive whole, the Group is promoting neighborhood creation that expands prosperous “Holistic Environments” and passes them on to future generations. In the Declaration, five key issues to address have been established: Preserve and nurture greenery, Harness the allure of water, Enrich the ecosystem, Connect the aspirations of the community, and Promote the circulation of natural resources. The initiatives described in this news release contribute to 1 of the key issues to address in “& EARTH for Nature.”
