TOKIOL – the art line of 東京区画 (Tokiopod)

東京区画 (Tokiopod) is a zone of Japan set down overseas: the worldview of Tokyo, and Japanese pop culture such as manga and anime, brought to audiences abroad. Tokiol is its art line, working with artists, original works and editions. Everything on this site, from unique drawings and paintings to limited editions, catalogues and zines, is presented under that name.

From Tokyo

Tokiol begins from a simple belief: that the drawn image, the line made by a living hand, remains one of the most vital languages of contemporary art, and that the artists who have given their lives to it deserve a gallery devoted to their work. We began in Tokyo in 2016 as CARTON Tokyo, working alongside Japanese artists whose practice is rooted in manga, anime and illustration. We managed their careers, produced their exhibitions, and carried their work to audiences at home and abroad.

From 2022 to 2025 we kept a space of our own in the heart of Shibuya: 9DAYS GALLERY, on the fourth floor of Shibuya MODI. A new exhibition opened there every nine days, and more than thirty artists, among them Eisaku Kubonouchi, wataboku, agoera and BONJI, showed their work to the city. It was a gallery in constant motion, and it formed the way we now look at, introduce and live with an artist's work.

Vienna, and a gallery without an address

In 2025 we closed the gallery and moved to Vienna. Tokiol is what we are building next: a gallery without a fixed address, which brings the same artists to Europe through art fairs, exhibitions and this site, so that their work may meet new audiences wherever those audiences gather. Our first presentation is Art Market Budapest, 15–18 October 2026.

Artists who draw

We represent artists who draw. Some became known through screens and social media, others through books and animation; what they share is a hand that can be recognised at once. Their work grows out of a tradition of Japanese visual culture that has shaped the imagination of readers and viewers across the world, yet each of them has arrived at a language that is unmistakably their own.

We present their unique works and small editions, publish their books, and stand beside each artist over the long term: not for a single season, but for the length of a career.

Works, editions and books

Every work on this site is catalogued with its artist, title, year, medium and dimensions and, where applicable, the size of its edition. Some works may be acquired directly here; others are offered on request, in which case we will write to you personally with the details. Alongside original works and editions, we publish catalogues and zines, so that a body of work may also be held in the hand and read at leisure.

Who we are

Tokiol is run by CARTON e.U., Vienna, together with CARTON Tokyo Inc. The longer story is told in the Journal: Our History and Overview of new company in Vienna.

For enquiries, please write to contact@tokiol.io.