From ‘Fishbed’ to Fine Art: The Stunning MiG-21 Project

South African artist and team transform a decommissioned Soviet fighter into a massive, colorful beadwork sculpture.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, January 23, 2026 at 05:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The nose of the beaded MiG at the Museum of Flight [Credit: Meg Godlewski]

Key Takeaways:

"The MiG-21 Project" is an art exhibit at the Museum of Flight featuring a decommissioned Cold War-era Soviet MiG-21 jet meticulously covered in millions of colorful glass beads.
Conceived by South African artist Ralph Ziman, the project took a team of craftspeople five years to complete, transforming the aircraft using techniques inspired by traditional South African beadwork.
The exhibit recontextualizes symbols of war into vibrant art, also including bead-covered AK-47s, flight helmets, and an interactive component for designing aircraft color schemes.

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You have to make time for the things you want, and when they finally line up, it can be worth it, as was the case in finally getting to see The MiG-21 Project at the Museum of Flight in Seattle shortly before it closed. The exhibit features a decommissioned Cold War-era, Soviet-built aircraft with millions of tiny glass beads.

The MiG is believed to be the most-produced Soviet aircraft, with more than 13,000 rolling out of the factory. The MiG-21, sometimes known as “Fishbed,” has been used all over the world. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, they could be purchased, decommissioned, defanged, and imported to various countries.