
BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT
Photos courtesy of Zenya Toyama
I first came acrossย Zenya Toyamaโs artwork in an event space in Tokyo, Japan. At first glance, it looked like a scientific illustrationโdelicate butterflies pinned to paper. But the โcanvasesโ turned out to be used coffee filters, and each butterfly came from a coffee-growing region. The stains, the colors, the origins โฆ they all told a deeper story. I sat down with Zenya to talk about the connection between butterflies and coffee, visual flavor, and how art can reshape how we experience whatโs in our cup.

Vasileia Fanarioti:ย How did the idea of painting butterflies on coffee filters first come to you?
Zenya: One day, while making pourover coffee at home, I looked at the used filter and was struck by the intuitive beauty of the stained coffee tones. Over time, the interaction of materials created subtle patterns that reminded me ofย wabi-sabiโthe Japanese aesthetic of impermanence and imperfection. That moment sparked the idea of using disposable coffee filters as a canvas for expression.
Why butterfliesโand why those from coffee-producing regions? What do butterflies symbolize for you in the context of coffee?
I wanted to convey more than just the flavor of coffee. I wanted to express the landscapes and communities behind it. Butterflies, as endemic species with singular beauty, were a perfect fit. Theyโre also known as indicator speciesโvery sensitive to environmental changes, just like coffee. By painting butterflies from coffee-producing regions, I aim to evoke the invisible nature and spirit of the land that lives inside each cup.

Youโve mentioned that the structural color in butterfly wings reminds you of the shifting flavors in coffee. Can you elaborate on that connection?
Structural color is produced by microscopic surfaces that reflect light differently depending on the angleโcreating a sense of movement and depth. That reminds me of how coffee flavor evolves as it cools. What might start as a deep chocolate note could become citrusy or spicy. Just like a butterfly wing, coffee reveals its layers with time. That connectionโbetween color and tasteโis central to the project.
Also, research likeย โCup colour influences consumersโ expectations and experience on tasting specialty coffeeโย helped me explore how visual perception shapes flavor. That was a big inspiration, too.
The reference to triangular specimen envelopes is a beautiful detail. What meaning do you intend by replacing them with coffee filters?
Traditional triangular envelopes used to preserve butterflies symbolize distance, journey, and the unknown. In my work, coffee filters take on that role. Like butterflies, coffee travelsโacross borders, cultures, and hands. By painting butterflies on filters, I try to build a sensory bridge between โa land where someone once wasโ and โthe moment here and now.โ Itโs a way to ask viewers to reconsider consumption, nature, and their place in the cycle.

Youโve created 161 butterflies so farโhow were the species chosen? Does the number have a special meaning?
Thereโs no symbolism behind the numberโ161 just represents the number of physical prints Iโve been able to complete so far. Itโs a technical process: Capturing the nuanced colors of butterfly wings requires fine adjustments and deep dialogue with print technologies. So 161 is more like a snapshot of a journey in progress. My goal is 300 color variations, each matched to a sensory coffee experience. Right now Iโm focused on Ethiopian species, but Iโll expand into Central and South America, and Southeast Asia next. You can see the visual and barista matching processย on my portfolio site.

You collaborated with baristas to match butterfly colors with coffee flavors. How did that process unfold? Any surprises?
It started with a simple question: โIf this butterfly were a flavor, what would it taste like?โ I expected totally different answers. But surprisingly, many baristas had similar responsesโmaybe because we share a common flavor vocabulary from cupping. Still, everyone added personal nuance. Some baristas linked flavors to travel memories; others recalled customers or cafรฉ moments. That blend of shared language and individual story became one of the most touching parts of the project.
I hear youโre also collecting environmental sounds from coffee farms. What kind of experience are you hoping to deliver in future exhibitions?
I want to create a multisensory experience that fuses butterfly ร taste ร sound ร space. Imagine: Youโre standing in front of an Ethiopian butterfly illustration, hearing the forest at dawn, and sipping a cup that mirrors the colors. I want to move people from passive tasting to immersive feeling. If the work leaves behind a memoryโone thatโs more than tasteโIโll feel I succeeded.

This is clearly a deeply collaborative project. How do you see co-creation with people outside the art world?
Traditional painting often highlights beauty as a final product. But this project is more about experienceโhighlighting traces of time, place, and material. That canโt happen alone. So, I work with people from different fieldsโbaristas, producers, technologists, even musicians. It reflects the journey of coffee itself, from grower to cup. To me, co-creation is a quiet form of world peace. A gesture of mutual respect.
Finallyโwhatโs next? Are there new senses or directions youโd like to explore?
Iโd love to bring the project into real-life spacesโcafรฉs and galleries where people can encounter the artwork and coffee together, organically. I also want to visit coffee origins and collect sensations firsthandโlandscapes, butterflies, voices, air. Ultimately, I hope the project becomes a place for people who love coffee to taste, learn, speak, and feel togetherโwhere art connects humans not just to each other, but to the land itself.
Vasileia Fanariotiย (she/her) is a senior online correspondent forย Barista Magazineย and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the IโM NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work.
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