POSTAL BIKES

1930’s South African Beaded Postal Bike

Original 1930’s South African postal bike covered in thousands of brightly colored glass beads. The dazzlingly intricate beadwork and traditional patterns are courtesy of local artisans from Zimbabwe and the Mpumalanga province in South Africa. This is one of several beaded pieces artist Ralph Ziman has created with local artisans in South Africa, repurposing the “Africanized” symbols into artworks that are full of energy and enthusiasm- the spirited reds, yellows and greens representative of a vibrant optimism which had come into view after a dark past of systemic discrimination and segregation.