This morning I received the heartbreaking news of Maria’s passing, it seems so surreal.
The last time I saw her was on 1 May during the Between Here and Elsewhere exhibition. What stays with me most is how selfless she was. I watched her move from artist to artist, giving each person her full attention. Taking photographs, speaking with them, and later posting each individual. She gave so much of herself so freely, far beyond what was expected of her. That was simply who Maria was.
Maria carried a rare generosity. She gave gifts in every form and made people feel seen and valued.
We have truly lost a giant in the creative industry, and an even more incredible human being.
May your soul rest in eternal peace, @mariamccloy Thank you for everything you gave to all of us. 🕊️
I feel so blessed to be celebrating motherhood with my best friend for breakfast, seeing uMam Sonto in the afternoon, and bae taking me out for dinner.
Managed to gather all the big, little and treasured gifts for the day.
1. Old Khaki blue bag from B
2. Flowers from Babe
3. Puddle baloon from the magician
4. Happy mothers day golden heart chocolate from Piatto
5. Happy Mother's Day fudge from the car wash
6. All the sweeties from the different restaurants
I hope all the mothers had a splendid day 🌹
Happy birthday to my Fanas 🥹💛
My caring, kindhearted, adventurous baby.. Also, l my forever plus one. You make life brighter just by being you.
Mommy loves you so much and will always stand by you, through everything.
May this new year bring you so much joy, laughter, and beautiful memories. 🎂
I know you don't like being tagged, so I hope you find this post 😅
Happy Birthday, my beautiful daughter @venuus.ss !
Today I celebrate not only the day you were born, but the incredible person you are becoming. Watching you grow has been one of my greatest blessings 🤞🏿 .
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11
May God guide your steps, protect your heart, and bless you abundantly in everything you do.
I love you always and forever 🎂🎁
I would like to warmly invite you to the opening of 'Between Here and Elsewhere', an exhibition I have had the privilege of curating in collaboration with Tlhagella Top 10 Artists. The exhibition engages themes of history, the body, and the spaces we inhabit and navigating the intersections.
Please note that the opening has been postponed to this new date due to unforeseen circumstances.
The opening will take place on Friday, 01 May 2026 at 15:00.
I would be honoured to have you join us for this moment
RSVP via the @javett_up bio.
In Cow Mash’s practice, the understanding of land is deeply embodied. Where the relationships between cow, woman, nature, and spirituality become ways of thinking through identity, ecology, and belonging.
ditšwatšhemong asks us to think about land not only as a physical place, but as memory, as ancestry, and as a living archive of knowledge.
Kwasukasukela….
The journey through the exhibition begins with masekitlana, an indigenous storytelling game many of us may remember from childhood.
This is important because from the very beginning,
Cow creates a space that is intergenerational.
A space where play becomes a method of remembering, and where learning happens through doing, through listening, through imagination.
In this way, the exhibition also reclaims oral and embodied forms of knowledge that exist beyond written histories.
Then.. the exhibition opens into a quieter, more contemplative landscape. You encounter unidentified seedlings carefully preserved in glass
being tended to by the Balemi, the farmers.
These figures remind us of care, of cultivation, and of the responsibility of holding life even when we do not yet fully understand it.
They also speak to a deeper question within Cow’s work: how do we nurture knowledge that feels distant or incomplete?
As you move deeper into the space, you enter what we might think of as an inner, sacred environment. And in this moment, the exhibition shifts. It is no longer only something you are looking, it becomes something you are part of.
You are invited to become the farmer.
Here, farming becomes more than an act of cultivation, it becomes a metaphor for rebuilding relationships with land, knowledge, and self.
This exhibition invites us to remember, to imagine, and to reconnect with where we come from
while also asking what we choose to grow for the future.
The only photos I have on my phone are moments with @cow.mash captured during the opening, and quiet reflections during installation.
I’m filled with so much gratitude for everyone who showed up, shared kind words, and held the space with us. 🖤 @feminist_rogue@katlegotlabela@ke_eilwe@mssimone_art@PfunzoSidogi@mellaney.coza — and the wider Joburg crew, thank you.
@cow.mash , congratulations once again on such a beautiful exhibition. It’s truly been a pleasure working alongside you.
T’was 🥂
A night to remember!
On Tuesday, we welcomed guests to the opening of two compelling new exhibitions: 𝙊𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝘼𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙧𝙩 and 𝙙𝙞𝙩š𝙬𝙖𝙩š𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜, a powerful solo installation by Tshwane-based artist Cow Mash.
What an evening of art, dialogue, and shared imagination. Thank you to all friends and colleagues who joined us in celebrating these remarkable exhibitions.
Our special thanks go to the organisations and individuals who made these exhibitions possible, and who joined us on the evening. This includes Australian High Commissioner H.E. Ms Tegan Brink ; Maggie Loubser from @universityofpretoria ’s Heritage Conservation Programme; Sally MacRoberts and colleagues from The Brenthurst Library; and of course, our guest of honour, @cow.mash
𝙊𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 is made possible with the support of Australian High Commission South Africa @auhcsouthafrica
To experience the exhibitions, visit between Tuesday and Saturday, and on the last Sunday of every month, from 10:00–16:00.
#TheTowerReimagined #ComeToJavettUP
@javett_up is proud to present Tshwane-based artist @cow.mash solo exhibition 𝙙𝙞𝙩š𝙬𝙖𝙩š𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 in the Reimagined Tower Gallery from 24 March.
𝙙𝙞𝙩š𝙬𝙖𝙩š𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 ,translated as “they come from the field / the origins of the land,” speaks to lineage, source, and belonging. It is both spatial and spiritual, understanding land as place and as memory, ancestry, and knowledge.
Placed in dialogue with 𝙊𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 , the exhibition reflects Cow Mash’s practice of working across time while imagining speculative futures where indigenous knowledge systems and spiritual cosmologies coexist and evolve.
The exhibition is curated by Puleng Plessie @pplessie , Storm Janse van Rensburg @stormjvr and Javett-UP's curatorial team.
Visit between Tuesday to Saturday and the last Sunday of every month, 10:00am - 16:00pm to view the exhibition.
#TheTowerReimagined #ComeToJavettUP
