Câylendar is a calendar that is inspired by a Vietnamese idiom, Cây Nhà Lá Vườn, and features the work of 12 Vietnamese illustrators and artists in the diaspora. Cây Nhà Lá Vườn, loosely translated as 'trees from home & leaves from the garden', is an idiom typically used to describe home-grown things. In the context of the Vietnamese diaspora, 'home' has transcended not only the physical and spatial but also the geographical, and even the familial.

We were tasked with exploring the concept of home, home-grown, and our identity as Vietnamese (with and without the hyphenation) in the diaspora. I had the pleasure of illustrating the month of January!

Using my mom’s favorite colors, I illustrated the home she raised me in through some everyday meals she made and the jungle that continues to grow there. Ông Nội watches from above his garden. Storms often rage between us but I will forever be grateful for their love and protection.

This was a fundraising initiative organized by Đùm Bọc Collective