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 Soviet MiG-21 fighter jet meticulously covered in millions of colorful glass beads.
Created over five years by South African artist Ralph Ziman and a team of craftspeople, the project applies traditional South African beadwork, transforming a symbol of war into intricate art.
Displayed at the Museum of Flight, the exhibit recontextualizes military objects, also including bead-adorned AK-47s and pilot gear, as the final piece of Ziman's "Weapons of Mass Production Trilogy."

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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.