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 featuring a decommissioned Cold War-era MiG-21 aircraft meticulously covered with millions of tiny glass beads.
Designed by South African artist Ralph Ziman, a team of craftspeople spent five years transforming the aircraft using traditional South African beadwork art.
The exhibit, displayed at the Museum of Flight, also includes bead-covered AK-47s, flight helmets, pilot portraits, and an interactive digital design component.
This project is the final piece in Ziman's "Weapons of Mass Production Trilogy," turning instruments of war into vibrant, colorful art.

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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.