The MiG-21 Project Exclusive Tour with Artist Ralph Ziman at The Museum of Flight

Presented by The Museum of Flight

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Join artist Ralph Ziman for an exclusive tour of his latest exhibition The MiG-21 Project during its world premiere at The Museum of Flight. For an intimate experience, the tour begins an hour before the Museum opens to the public.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.

“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.

The exhibit marks the first public display of the reclaimed jet, and three rooms of the Museum’s Special Exhibits Gallery have been transformed to visualize the depth of the The MiG-21 Project and the Weapons of Mass Production Trilogy. The gallery experience includes original artwork, Afrofuturistic flight suits designed and crafted by the artist and his team, large scale photographs, videos, and interactives.

Please note that this event is by invitation only.

The MiG-21 Project aircraft. Photographer Mauricio Hoyos.