Artists We Love: Ralph Ziman

WORDS Tracy Greenwood IMAGES Ralph Ziman

Multitalented SA-born photographer, filmmaker and activist Ralph Ziman – he was born in Johannesburg in 1963 – is a dab hand behind the camera.

He has directed music videos for a diverse range of artists from Ozzy Osborne and Shania Twain to Rod Stewart and Toni Braxton. And in film, he has written, directed and produced no less than six features, including the acclaimed Jerusalema.

A resident of Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife and three children, Ralph is known for the public murals he has created in Venice and Santa Monica.

True to his African roots, much of Ralph’s work challenges preconceived notions about modern Africa as a violent and war-torn continent. His first solo exhibition, Ghosts, which was held at the C.A.V.E. gallery in Venice Beach, featured sculptures, photographs and installations created in collaboration with southern African street vendors. It included more than 200 beaded and wire-wrapped models of AK47s. The aim of the exhibition was to raise awareness of the international arms trade, which trades on the suffering and oppression of so many Africans.

Follow Ralph Ziman on Instagram or visit rz-art.com to view more of his work.