The Casspir Project
The Casspir Project: A Multidisciplinary Exhibition by Ralph Ziman
The Casspir Project—forming part of Ziman’s Weapons of Mass Production Series—is an unprecedented and multifaceted undertaking from South African artist and filmmaker, Ralph Ziman. The work comprises installation, photography, oral history, and documentary. It made its debut at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town in December 2016, as part of the exhibition, Women’s Work: crafting stories, subverting narratives – an exploration of the historically gendered creative practices used by contemporary artists in South Africa.
Since its debut, The Casspir Project’s most recent tour took place in Atlanta, Georgia (September–November 2024) following a presentation in Seattle, Washington (July–August 2024). Previously, it was featured virtually at Photo London in October 2020. In February 2020, the Casspir Project was exhibited for the first time in Northern California at the San Francisco Tribal & Textile Art Show, having been showcased earlier at PULSE Art Fair in Miami Beach in December 2019. The SPOEK 1 vehicle and a variety of media arrived in the United States in May 2019 and were included in Special Projects at the fourth edition of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair as well as on view at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York, throughout the summer of 2018. Additional U.S. exhibitions included The Rendon Gallery in Los Angeles, California (February 2019) and C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice, California (June 2014).
Before its arrival in the U.S., The Casspir Project was prominently displayed at leading South African institutions: The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg (September 2017); Turbine Art Fair, Johannesburg (July 2017); Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg (July 2017); and the South African National Gallery, Cape Town (December 2016).
Marco Gruelle and his team at DTGruelle have proudly assisted with safely transporting The Casspir Project to the various cities in which it has been exhibited.
The Casspir Project charts the locus of the South African police vehicle’s legacy of institutional oppression — a legacy with which we are still reckoning. The central element of the project is one of reclamation. The restored and refitted Casspir vehicle, its surfaces fully covered in elaborate, brightly-colored panels of glass beadwork, arrayed in contemporary African patterns, was completed by artisans from Zimbabwe and the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, including women of the Ndebele tribe, known for their craftsmanship.
The Casspir Project represents the first comprehensive consideration of apartheid-era South Africa seen through the lens of the Casspir instrument. Casspir is an anagram of the acronyms SAP (South African Police) and CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research). Designed in South Africa in the late 1970s and brought into service in the early 80s, the Casspir was used extensively by the Apartheid-era South African Police, as well as by the South African Defense Force. Bulletproof and mine-resistant, the Casspir was a police vehicle, extensively used in urban and township areas in South Africa against civilian populations. By the mid-1980s, the Casspir was the ubiquitous heavy hand of apartheid oppression in South African townships – its mere presence a form of terror.
Meet Ralph Ziman and the Artisans
-
Artist
Ralph Ziman was born in 1963 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at The Rendon Gallery in Los Angeles; Joseph Gross Gallery in Tucson, Arizona; and C.A.V.E. Gallery in Venice, California, as well as group exhibitions at the National Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa; Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts in Brooklyn, NY; the FNB Art Fair in Johannesburg, South Africa; MUDAC in Lausanne, France; and Forum Schlossplatz in Aarau, Switzerland, among others.
Ralph Ziman’s practice is motivated by a sense of social responsibility toward global politics. Using imagery that is at once vivid and dark, he comments on serious issues such as life under apartheid, the arms trade and trophy hunting. His work extends across a variety of media, including film, photography, public intervention, sculpture, and installation.
-
Beading & Fabrication Artisan
Thenjiwe Pretty Nkogatsi, founder of Annointed Hands, leads a skilled collective of women passionate about fine beadwork. Coming from South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province and rooted in the Ndebele tribe’s renowned beading traditions, she inherited her lifelong dedication to this intricate art from her mother and grandmother, and past generations - keeping the tradition alive. Thenjiwe has collaborated with prominent brands, including David Tlale and Nike, and brings her craft to a global audience, offering seminars and workshops for NGOs and companies across Africa and Europe. Through Annointed Hands, she strives to keep her culture’s beading artistry alive for future generations.
-
Beading & Fabrication Artisan
Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, Telmore moved to Johannesburg in 2005, where he began his career as a freelance artist, making and selling bead and wire sculptures to tourists and collectors. Along with Panganai and Lenon, he co-founded Live Wire, a store in downtown Johannesburg that specializes in African craft, wire, and beadwork pieces.
Telmore joined Ralph’s team full-time in 2013 and quickly became an integral part of the creative process. His skillset is in general beadwork, making and filling in colors, and color blocking. In 2018, he was commissioned to design the prestigious Legacy Award Trophy for Business and Arts South Africa.
-
Beading & Fabrication Artisan
Panghanai is a reserved and talented beadwork artist, who co-founded the Live Wire shop in Newtown, Johannesburg, with fellow artist Lenon Tinarwo. Alongside contributing to Ralph’s projects, Panghanai manages large-scale commissions for major South African and international corporations, bringing his artistry to a broad audience.
-
Beading & Fabrication Artisan
Livingstone Dombodzvuku is a man of few words, but his work says it all. Hailing from Harare, Zimbabwe, he is a self-taught expert in wire bending, a craft he has mastered over the years. Livingstone’s skill in this area is unmatched. He has the brain of an engineer and very technically creative. Though he keeps a low profile, his craftsmanship speaks volumes in every project he takes on.
-
Beading & Fabrication Artisan
Lenon Tinarwo is a man of few words, but his work speaks volumes. Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, he has always been driven by a hands-on approach to life. Lenon started his own store, Live Wire, in Newtown, Johannesburg, where he showcases his unique creations.
Growing up, he learned upholstery from his father, who ran an upholstery business in Zimbabwe. This skill came in handy when he worked on affixing beaded panels to the larger pieces of the Casspir, a job that highlighted his craftsmanship and attention to detail and earned the nickname "Glueman". It’s this blend of artistry and technical know-how that sets Lenon apart.
-
Beading & Fabrication Artisan
Kennedy Mwashusha is the voice of the group, known for his role as the spokesperson, never at a loss for words, and his calm, clear approach to communication. Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, Kennedy moved to South Africa in 2004.
Before diving into beadwork and wirework, Kennedy was a professional football (soccer) player, playing for teams in Pretoria and representing the Zimbabwean military. His talent didn’t go unnoticed, as he was recruited by the Zimbabwe Airforce to join their national soccer team. After transitioning from football, he found his passion in the creative arts, particularly beadwork and building.
A family man with three kids and a wife, Kennedy is also studying to become a social worker, having earned his Bachelor’s in Social Work through the University of South Africa. As part of his studies, he dedicated hundreds of hours working with at-risk communities and adolescents in South Africa’s underserved townships.
In 2015, Kennedy launched his own business, Midas Touch Artworx, where he’s undertaken large-scale commissions for global brands like Nike, Mercedes-Benz, and Pepsi. Alongside his work on Ralph’s projects, Kennedy continues to grow his brand, blending his creative skills with a passion for social impact. -
Beading & Fabrication Artisan
Bowasi, also known as the Machine Gun Preacher, is a kind-hearted preacher, elder, and family man from Zimbabwe. A proud member of the Shona tribe, he's been part of his current team since February 2013, after connecting with Ralph during a trip to South Africa. With two decades of experience, Bowasi is known for his skills in shaping wire, and his gentle, down-to-earth nature.
Bowasi is one of two people on the team who learned to drive a Casspir, which required classroom hours to learn the manual, and training at the Jerotek testing grounds where one learns to drive the Casspir in the most challenging terrains. Now based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Bowasi, whether in the church or on the job, Bowasi brings a lot of heart, talent, skill and dedication to everything he does.
SPOTLIGHT:
Thenjiwe Chinedo and the SA Beading Team
Thenjiwe Chinedo is a self-made and fiercely talented beading artisan and small business owner in South Africa. Honing their traditional African beading artistry passed down through generations, Thenjiwe and a team of beaders work with interdisciplinary artist, Ralph Ziman, to manipulate historical materials related to pan-African history to create art installations and give the pieces a new, and very different, meaning. Thenjiwe and her colleagues use patterns, precise measurements, and thousands of African glass beads to create large beaded sheets that are then shipped and installed on location in Ziman’s workshop. Together, they help bring Ziman’s vision for each unique installation to life.
