This Artists’ Book delves into food as a secret language of diaspora, a symbol of sisterhood, a source of community enrichment, and a counterforce to the undervaluation of culinary traditions, challenging food's role in shaping racial and cultural hierarchies. We collaborate with creators hailing from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ backgrounds who share an affiliation with Asianness. Our project explores familial recipes, contributed by women and non-binary individuals within the family, emphasizing the integral use of various types of seeds. These culinary narratives become a conduit for communication within their respective families and communities. This endeavor draws its conceptual inspiration from the metaphor of seeds being sown within us through the transformative processes of cooking and consumption, presenting our bodies as vessels of migration and fertile soil.

The book connects culinary narratives with the storied tradition of tattooing - a symbol of resistance, an encrypted language, and a form of self-expression often utilized by marginalized groups throughout history. With roots in ancient cultures, tattooing has been a rite of passage, a sign of status or tribe, a form of punishment or stigma, and, importantly, a means of coded communication. The indelible ink on the skin became a vessel for personal and communal narratives, often silent yet powerfully visible. Like the seeds, symbols of potential and transformation, these tattoos carry stories embedded within our bodies.

Artists create drawings as tattoos for each recipe and accompanying story, transforming these culinary tales into a distinctive, handcrafted artist's book. This collaborative endeavor culminates in this artist’s book, as well as an immersive exhibition and live cooking performance, showcasing the rich tapestry of stories, flavors, and artistic expressions that define these shared culinary experiences.