RALPH ZIMAN

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ABOUT
EXHIBITIONS
PROJECTS
ARTWORK
THE TEAM
PRESS
SHOP
CONTACT

TEXTILES

BEADED PANELS

casspir-38002

Ralph Ziman_beaded panels_install

AK-47_Beaded_Panel_2_of_6_b8kmvu

afrika_47

South African-born artist & filmmaker 🇿🇦
Exploring conflict, legacy, and resistance
#TheCasspirProject #TheMiG21Project
📍 Los Angeles

Thank you to everyone who joined the conversation

Thank you to everyone who joined the conversation at the opening of @esmoaorg’s Experience 69: “PEACE”. Grateful to @bernhardzuenkeler for placing my work alongside Peter Badge’s portrait of Desmond Tutu and for curating an exhibition that reminds us how necessary these conversations still are.

Exhibition on view through Sept. 12, 2026

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#ralphziman #afrika47 #desmondtutu #theresistanceproject #esmoa

“Over The Rainbow” - The Resistance Project Inkje

“Over The Rainbow” - The Resistance Project
Inkjet Print on Moab Entrada Paper, Hand Embellished with Glass Beads, Edition of 12 | 29”x 54”

Honored to be showcasing this work as part of Experience 69: PEACE at @esmoaorg — an exhibition exploring peace not as an ideal, but as an ongoing act of courage, dialogue, and transformation. Grateful to be in conversation with powerful voices from around the world and here in Southern California.

🔸Opening Reception: March 14, 2026 | 5-8 pm
🔸Exhibition Dates: March 14 - Sept. 12, 2026

#Ralphziman #afrika47 #TheResistanceProject #contemporaryart #southafricanartist

One of the greatest highlights of sharing #TheMiG2

One of the greatest highlights of sharing #TheMiG21Project in Seattle has been hearing directly from you. The conversations, reflections, and personal responses continue to shape the life of this project.

With nearly one month remaining at @themuseumofflight, don’t miss the chance to experience the full exhibition with friends and family before it leaves Seattle.

#ralphziman #afrika47 #southafricanbeadwork #mig21

Thank you @euronewsculture for the video and artic

Thank you @euronewsculture for the video and article featuring the Weapons of Mass Production trilogy 🔶 🔹🔶🔹🔶 To read the full article, head to Euronews.com

#ralphziman #afrika47 #themig21project

💥New Featurette: ENGINEERING. Go behind the scenes

💥New Featurette: ENGINEERING. Go behind the scenes of The MiG-21 Project to see the engineering and technical feats that made it possible. From restoring a 51-foot fighter jet to designing custom jigs, molds, and mounting systems, this episode reveals how traditional beadwork met modern fabrication to cover the aircraft in tens of millions of glass beads, while preparing it to handle a national exhibition tour.

🎥 Full video on YouTube - link in bio.
#TheMiG21Project #Mig21 #ralphziman

“Flight Pattern” for @theicala’s 16th iteration of

“Flight Pattern” for @theicala’s 16th iteration of INCOGNITO benefit art sale held at @hauserwirthlosangeles over the weekend.

🔸Lessons in Camouflage: Deadly Allure🔸

A MiG-21 fighter jet, draped in the vivid geometries of African fabrics, disappears into a chaos of pattern—proving that camouflage need not whisper in khaki and olive drab. In nature, brightness often screams danger: the orange beetle’s shell warns of toxins, the coral snake’s bands announce venom, the spider’s jeweled abdomen lures prey toward fangs. Yet wrap that same intensity in more intensity—pattern against pattern, color against color—and the warning dissolves into visual noise.

The aircraft, militant and unmistakable in silhouette, becomes a puzzle piece lost in its own bold surroundings. Here lies the paradox: what evolution designed to be seen can also teach us how to vanish. The predator’s advertisement becomes the hunted’s disguise when context overwhelms content, when the eye, glutted on stimulation, can no longer pick signal from spectacle. Danger, it seems, hides best in plain sight—not by dimming its colors, but by multiplying them until they cancel each other out into a dazzling, disorienting whole.

Inkjet on Moab Entrada Paper on Bamboo Board
12 x 12 in
2025

#mig21 #afrika47 #ralphziman #theicala #incognito2025 #themig21project #southafricanart #weaponsofmassproduction #geometry

Excited to share my good friend @biscosmith’s incr

Excited to share my good friend @biscosmith’s incredible book “Moments In Time” - a compelling visual chronicle of his career as a fine artist, graffiti writer, a driven creative force and innovator. This book is a masterclass in dedication and evolution. From street corners to gallery walls, Bisco’s work captures the raw energy of urban culture while pushing the boundaries of what street art and fine art can be.

I had a blast collaborating with Bisco on several murals in inner city Johannesburg, South Los Angeles, and Venice Beach.

We also collabed on an exhibition at C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice, “When Worlds Collide” - a perfect title for what happens when NY style graffiti meets iconic African immagary. It also references the tribes in Ethiopia who have for years been fighting to keep their lands from encroaching sugar cane plantations and the modern world.

Bisco’s talent and work ethic are unmatched. This book is a testament to years of talent and the drive to create..
Visit his IG page to order your copy of “Moments In Time”. Witness the journey for yourself… @biscosmith ➡️www.biscosmith.com

#BiscoSmith #ralphziman #afrika47 #graffitiartist #stylewriting #urbanartist

🚨New Featurette Drop! Beading the MiG-21✨ Step beh

🚨New Featurette Drop! Beading the MiG-21✨
Step behind the scenes of this incredible artistic journey — where South African and Zimbabwean artisans hand-weave each beaded panel with precision and care, blending traditional craft with modern design to reimagine a decommissioned fighter jet.
🎥 Full video on YouTube — link in bio.

#TheMiG21Project #RalphZiman #afrika47 #afrika_47 #weaponsofmassproduction #mig21 #artasresistance #southafricanart #southafricanbeadwork #ndebele #beadwork

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