ADDRESS
2F, 52, Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
T. +82-2-732-3848
E. africarho@naver.com
H. www.instagram.com/gallerytongkeun
DIRECTOR
Haekwang Jung
ARTISTS
Liby O. Lougue
Adugna Kassa
Joel MpahDooh
Hendrick Lilanga
GALLERY TONGKEUN is a gallery specializing in African art. Since its opening in 2008, it has introduced African art to the public, exhibiting a wide range of works and conducting artist research, resulting in the publication of more than ten books. The gallery has been highly praised for introducing new art from the Third World to the art market.
Starting with planned exhibitions such as “Reading Obama Through African Art” and “Understanding Michael Jackson,” the gallery has worked to popularize African art.
In 2013, the gallery co-organized an exhibition with Gwangju MBC at the Kim Dae-Jung Convention Center, inviting Tanzanian artist Hendrik to perform a live painting for Kia Motors. In 2015, at a KNN-sponsored exhibition in Busan, Senegalese artist Douts was invited for a live performance, drawing over 20,000 paid visitors despite the MERS outbreak and selling more than 300 works, sparking renewed interest in African art.
The gallery has also played a public role in expanding cultural influence through exhibitions at institutions such as the Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Yangpyeong Museum of Art, Cheongju Museum of Art, Osan Museum of Art, Chungmu Art Hall, and Daegu Culture and Arts Center.
In 2017, the gallery hosted an African art fair with 250 works in a new exhibition format at Insa 1-gil Culture Space, followed by another at Insadong D’one in 2022, marking a new leap forward for African art. In 2023, African artist Hendrik personally participated in a special exhibition at the Daegu Culture and Arts Center, receiving enthusiastic responses from visitors.
“Now or Never” — the time for African art is now. Tomorrow is too late. GALLERY TONGKEUN is opening the door to African art.