Artist Talk with Ralph Ziman
Presented by The Museum of Flight, Booth E01
Date & Time:
Friday, July 18, 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Location:
Booth E01, Seattle Art Fair
Join artist Ralph Ziman for an exclusive artist talk and walkthrough at Booth E01 of the Seattle Art Fair. Ziman will discuss his latest exhibition The MiG-21 Project, currently on view at The Museum of Flight through January 2026.
The centerpiece of Ziman’s multidisciplinary project is a decommissioned Cold War-era, Soviet-designed MiG-21 fighter jet transformed into a stunning work of art, entirely covered in tens of millions of colorful glass beads. The re-imagined jet turns an icon of violence into a symbol of resilience and collaboration.
While the full-scale jet will not be shown at the Seattle Art Fair, a curated selection of works will be on view, including original photographs, limited edition prints, beaded panels, a 3D model of the aircraft, and an Afrofuturistic flight helmet designed and handcrafted by Ziman and his team. Several of these pieces will make their public debut at the fair, while the complete exhibition remains on view at The Museum of Flight. Adjacent to the booth, a dedicated lounge will offer visitors the chance to watch the 25-minute documentary on The MiG-21 Project providing deeper context and behind-the-scenes insight into the making of the work.
“The aim of The MiG-21 Project,” said Ziman, “is to take the most mass-produced supersonic fighter aircraft and to turn it from a machine of war into something that looks beautiful and changes the meaning of it.”
The MiG-21 Project is the culmination of Ziman’s Weapons of Mass Production Trilogy, a 12-year project inspired by the artist’s experiences growing up in Apartheid South Africa and realized by teams on two continents—Ziman and his team in Los Angeles in collaboration with Southern African beadwork artisans. Together they addressed the impact of the arms trade on global conflicts and the continued militarization of police forces around the world, and responded by turning symbols of oppression into works of art that inspire a reflection on history and current conflicts.