South African-born artist Ralph Ziman has completed his most ambitious project to date, spending over five years and using approximately 35 million hand-threaded beads to transform a Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jet into a stunning work of art. The project, which concludes his "Weapons of Mass Production" series, represents a powerful statement against violence and militarization while celebrating traditional African craftsmanship.
Ziman's anti-violence stance stems from personal experience growing up in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the turbulent 1970s and beyond. He estimates that by age 50, he had guns pointed at him between 15 to 20 times, starting with his first encounter at age 13 or 14 outside a shopping mall when a stranger pulled a .45 Magnum during a minor altercation. "I have to consider myself really lucky," said Ziman, who now works as a commercial photographer and filmmaker-turned-artist based in Los Angeles. "Unsurprisingly, I've always been very anti-gun."
For over a decade, Ziman has focused his artistic work on transforming weapons of war into objects of beauty, using millions of beads to create powerful commentary on global violence. "I want to talk about the proliferation of weapons around the world and the militarization of police forces," he explained. Each piece in his "Weapons of Mass Production" series connects directly to South Africa's troubled past, creating what he describes as "a beautiful, subversive meditation on a nation's history of violence."
The series began in 2013 with dozens of mock AK-47 rifles created using wire frames and intricate beadwork. Ziman chose the AK-47 for its symbolic transformation in South African society – originally a weapon of liberation during the apartheid years, it later became associated with post-apartheid criminal activities including bank robberies, cash-in-transit heists, home invasions, and carjackings. In 2016, he moved on to a more ambitious project: completely covering a Casspir van with beads.
The Casspir, a heavily armored, mine-resistant vehicle, holds particular significance in South African history. Originally created for the South African police and deployed in townships during apartheid, it became a hated symbol of oppression. Ziman's transformation of this vehicle into an artwork represents a reclaiming of painful historical symbols through the beauty of traditional African artisanship.
In 2019, Ziman embarked on his most challenging project yet: beading an entire MiG-21 fighter jet. His choice of the Soviet-era aircraft, which holds the distinction of being the most produced military jet in the world, required careful historical consideration. During the 1980s, South Africa was deeply involved in both the Angola Civil War (1975-2002) and the South African Border War (1966-1990). These Cold War proxy conflicts involved multiple international players, including Cuba, which flew MiG-21s against South Africa's air force, inflicting significant losses in what proved to be a costly venture both financially and politically for South Africa.
The massive undertaking required Ziman to first acquire a decommissioned jet from a military contractor in Lakeland, Florida. "It was in pieces and not in great condition, but it was absolutely perfect for us," he said. After removing the engine, his team loaded the aircraft onto a flatbed truck and transported it to his Los Angeles studio, where the painstaking transformation process began.
The design process itself was remarkably hands-on and collaborative. Much of the artistic planning was completed directly on the aircraft, using sheets of paper adhered to its aluminum panels. These sheets were then detailed using colored tape to create the desired patterns and designs. Once completed, the paper templates were carefully removed and shipped to South Africa, where skilled artisans from Ndebele communities in Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga provinces began the meticulous work of recreating each panel using traditional beadwork techniques.
The scale of the project was extraordinary. The largest panels measured over 20 feet wide and weighed between 30 to 40 pounds once completed with beads. The finished aircraft, measuring 51 feet long and 24 feet wide, required an estimated 35 million beads to cover completely. "There's no mechanized way of doing this – everything on that plane is 100% handmade," Ziman emphasized. "I can't even begin to think about the hours that have gone into it."
Ziman's choice of beadwork as his medium stems from deep personal and cultural connections. "I'd always loved beadwork," he explained. "I'd grown up with it; I had an Ndebele nanny who always brought us beaded stuff." Despite the tremendous skill and effort required to create beaded artworks, this traditional craft form has historically been undervalued in the art world. "Even though it took a tremendous amount of skill and this tremendous effort to make anything out of beads, it was looked down on. I always wanted to elevate it to being a fine art," Ziman said.
The project employed over 100 artisans working over more than five years to complete the massive undertaking. Many of these skilled craftspeople are part of Anointed Hands, a collective of beadworkers overseen by Thenjiwe Pretty Nkogatsi, who is deeply committed to preserving traditional Ndebele beading techniques. According to Ziman, "She is intensely passionate about keeping these beading skills alive in the Ndebele community."
The importance of supporting these artisans became even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, when other sources of income dried up for many craftspeople. Ziman's project provided crucial economic support during this difficult period, helping preserve both livelihoods and traditional skills. The artist's commitment extends beyond immediate employment to long-term community development and education.
Through DTCare, the charitable arm of international logistics firm DTGruelle (which supported the MiG-21 project), 25 children of the artisans and other young people are receiving educational sponsorships. "We will pay for them through school, through university – as far as they want to go," Ziman explained proudly. The program has already shown remarkable success, with scholarship students pursuing diverse fields including medicine, nursing, and fashion design. One scholarship recipient has even achieved athletic success, playing for Zimbabwe's under-21 cricket team.
The completed MiG-21 was unveiled this summer at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, where it was exhibited alongside other pieces from the "Weapons of Mass Production" series, including costumes and the beaded AK-47 replicas. The exhibition represents the culmination of more than a decade of artistic exploration and social commentary through transformed weapons of war.
Following its American tour, the MiG-21 will be offered for sale, with proceeds continuing to fund the educational program and expanding to support art therapy for children in Ukraine. "I love the idea that we take this thing that was built in the Soviet Union – has been donated to us, and we can sell it and put some of that money back into helping some of the civilian population who've been so brutalized in the war (with Russia)," Ziman added, highlighting the global relevance of his anti-violence message.
Despite focusing on South Africa's historical conflicts, Ziman believes his work carries urgent contemporary relevance. "The project is maybe even more pertinent now than when we started," he observed. He points to the ongoing influence of South African military innovations, particularly noting how the Casspir police vehicle inspired U.S. military MRAP (Mine Resistance Ambush Protected) vehicles used in the Second Gulf War. Hundreds of these mine-resistant vehicles were later made available to American police departments through the Pentagon's 1033 Program and were subsequently used on U.S. streets against protesters during the Black Lives Matter movement.
"History doesn't just rhyme, it actually seems to repeat itself," Ziman concluded, emphasizing how his artistic exploration of South Africa's violent past illuminates ongoing patterns of militarization and conflict around the world. Through his transformation of weapons into art, he continues to advocate for peace while celebrating the beauty and skill of traditional African craftsmanship.
