DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 15 April) — Amid the prints, stickers, and handmade crafts at Patrons of the Arts Regionals in Davao, zines — self-produced, small-run booklets that have long existed outside mainstream media and institutional publishing — circulate within the same space.
Displayed alongside illustrations and merchandise, these independently produced works form part of a broader ecosystem of creative labor. Like the artists around them, zine authors operate outside traditional gatekeeping structures, creating and distributing work on their own terms.
At an art market designed to platform independent artists and student creatives, the presence of zines serves as an extension of this ethos.
Often created in small quantities, zines have historically functioned as alternative publishing platforms where writers and artists can produce work without institutional mediation. They create informal, community-driven spaces for knowledge-making, allowing marginalized voices to document experiences, circulate ideas, and challenge dominant narratives outside mainstream constraints.
This is evident in the themes explored in the zines at the event. In Kagat by Arcadian Moth, the body is portrayed not as idealized but as something that decays. Written across English, Tagalog, and Hiligaynon, the text embraces fragmentation over polished language. Meanwhile, Aswangism by G!K reimagines the folkloric aswang as an everyday presence—tired, working, indistinguishable from humans.
At the art market, these zines reflect a broader impulse: creating outside centralized systems, circulating work directly, and building audiences through proximity.
This is the context in which initiatives like Tridax Zines emerge. Founded in Sultan Kudarat, Tridax serves as a platform for writers in marginalized languages. G!K, from Tridax, describes the project as filling a gap for voices excluded from mainstream publishing, which often prioritizes awards, credentials, and institutional ties.
“We give voices, especially for marginalized languages,” they said, noting publications in Maguindanaon, Hiligaynon, Bisaya, and creole Tagalog forms from Mindanao—languages rarely prioritized nationally. “Soon, we will publish Tausug and Menuvu literary works,” they added.
For G!K, zines dismantle barriers. Mainstream publishing remains Manila-centric, while zines allow “art’s absolute freedom,” publishing diverse genres and subjects without gatekeeping. This includes place-based stories, like poems by a Maguindanaon fisherman about life along Liguasan Marsh.
On April 25, Tridax will launch zines in Davao featuring works in Bisaya, English, and “Davao Tagalog,” alongside poetry and music performances. The event, fully independent and unsponsored, aims to challenge how Davao engages with literature.
This focus on language, locality, and access highlights the broader role of zines in creative communities. Art markets like Patrons of the Arts provide space for independent voices, and zines amplify stories that might otherwise go unheard—expanding what can be written, who writes it, and how those stories are told. (Bea Gatmaytan / MindaNews)
