This 'Digital Palengke' Is Giving Young Filipinx Artists a Global Platform

Part palengke, part exhibit, part ode to Filipino culture, Mercado Vicente is the creative index to go to for curated content featuring some of the best young and emerging Filipino artists in the world. The online index was created to showcase Filipino talent in an age when anti-Asian sentiments are rising due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But what started as a community initiative took on a life of its own as Mercado Vicente has become a source of inspiration and pride in these troubling times.

“With the growing reports of anti-Asian racism in the United States and the concerning actions of the Philippine president to our citizens back home, we believe that this message of support, solidarity, and community has never been so important,” said the platform. “Hate has no place in the world especially in a crisis.”

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#MERCADOVICENTE — DIGITAL LAUNCH PARTY — APRIL 24 22:00 NEW YORK TIME / APRIL 25 10:00 MANILA TIME — [email protected]>pA post shared by JAN VINCENT GONZALES ???????????????? (@janvincentgonzales) on Apr 19, 2020 at 7:10pm PDT>p

>pWith the caliber of Filipino creatives on full display, the “digital palengke” is an empowering international platform for the young and emerging artists of Filipino society. The pandemic has hit the art community hard with many creatives now trying to survive unemployed. To empower those who are struggling, Mercado Vicente has become a voice and a medium for its pool of multidisciplinary artists. The index features photographers, painters, graphic designers, fashion designers, and more, and the platform’s e-commerce features are on the way.>p

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A big THANK YOU / MARAMING SALAMAT to everyone that came through our Digital Release Party this past weekend. Surpassing our first release in April, we had over 130+ people from all across the globe call in to celebrate MERCADO VICENTE's VOLUME TWO. MERCADO VICENTE IS GLOBAL. ???? FILIPINX PEOPLE ARE GLOBAL. ???????? WE ARE ALL CONNECTED WITH EACH OTHER ???? AND WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. Shout out to everyone from all these spots: New York City (Queens, Brooklyn, Astoria), Los Angeles, Manila, Pasig, Portland, Virginia, New Zealand, Atlanta, Toronto, Houston, Pennsylvania, Hudson, Seattle, Long Island, London, Louisiana, Torrance, Singapore, Antipolo, New Jersey, Laguna, Saudi Arabia, Marikina, Paranaque, Antipolo, Ottawa, Bulacan, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Davao City, Baguio City, Tarlac, and more. If you haven't checked it out already, head to MERCADOVICENTE.com to see the newest additions to the index along with our latest series, TAWARAN. PLUS -- y'all asked for it and we've delivered. Check out @simon.te 's exclusive TUNES BY TE VOLUME TWO for MERCADO VICENTE on mercadovicente.com/ngayon. Finally, as a kind reminder, we built the index to help out our global creatives during this global crisis. If you are at a position to help, please donate to the index. All donations will be distributed to everyone involved in the index following the pandemic. #MERCADOVICENTE #VOLUMETWO #JANVINCENTGONZALES #FILIPINX #FILIPINO #FILIPINA #AAPI #APAHM #COVID19>pA post shared by JAN VINCENT GONZALES ???????????????? (@janvincentgonzales) on May 25, 2020 at 7:21am PDT>p

>p“Taking these elements of discovery, accessibility, and community, I wanted to create a platform similar to this market (palengke),” said Jan Vincent Gonzeles, the man behind Mercado Vicente. “I wanted to build a market in which our community can turn to. Instead of physical commerce, I wanted this for digital exchange. I wanted young and emerging talent from all over the world to see that there is a community behind out there to support them.">p"If I could leave a legacy in the world, it would be to show young, queer, and brown Filipinx like me that it’s okay to be creative. It’s okay to draw. It’s okay to love fashion. It’s okay to build your life around art. There are people in the world just like you and they’ve found success in doing what they love to do.”>pMercado Vicente is an extension of Jan Vincent Gonzales, a global consultancy firm that caters to Filipinx brands and creatives. Main image courtesy of visual artist, illustrator, and designer Alagadngsining.>p >p