THÍCH THÚ SRI LANKA

A personal artist book made between Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Quiet, hand-bound, and held together with a rubber band.

Thích Thú Sri Lanka is a personal artist book created after my first illustration exhibition in Colombo, Sri Lanka. While the original project — The Meeting in the Sky — was a large-scale kite installation featuring over 2,000 handcrafted animal-shaped kites, this book is far more intimate: an archive of impressions stitched together through paper, objects, and quiet details.

The title, Thích Thú, is a Vietnamese word that carries a quiet kind of playfulness. “Thích” means to enjoy, and “Thú” means animals — but when combined, the phrase simply means “delight.”

I chose it because it felt light, personal, and true to the heart of this project.
A name that holds both the joy of seeing animals take flight, and my own quiet affection for them.

One of my favorite details is a stitched bookmark with a 1000 rupees note sewn on the back — the exact cost of a local head massage. I kept it there like a tiny voucher to use if I ever return.

One part of the book is a round zine — shaped like the inox plate used during a dinner I had at the kite artisan’s home.

I remember chatting with a friend while brainstorming how to capture that memory, and the idea of making the zine round — like a plate you could open — just clicked. I wouldn’t have landed on that shape without that conversation.

So I made it. A small, circular piece to hold a quiet evening I didn’t want to forget.

Not everything was made by hand.
But the parts that mattered were.

Book Credits
Art Direction & Design – Luongdoo
Creative Contributor – Thanh Van
Book Photography – Thuat Vo
Kite Photography – Nuwan Attanayake

Inspired by The Meeting in the Sky, led by Kumkum Fernando for Cinnamon Life, produced by Ki Saigon. Special thanks to Radiesha for her invitation and support throughout the journey. With appreciation to Indraneel Guha for the time and trust that made this project possible.