Cow Mash’s Artistic Exploration of Indigenous Knowledge at Javett-UP
Cow Mash ditšwatšhemong, profile. Image courtesy of the artist.
The Javett-UP proudly features a unique solo installation by Tshwane-based artist Cow Mash, titled ditšwatšhemong. This work, which translates to “they come from the field” or “the origins of the land,” engages visitors in a multifaceted dialogue surrounding lineage, ancestry, and the concept of belonging. It positions land as both a tangible location and a spiritual archive, intricately woven with memory and indigenous knowledge systems.
Cow Mash’s artistic approach fluidly navigates different temporal dimensions, integrating ancestral histories with speculative future possibilities. In ditšwatšhemong, this melding of time is brilliantly illustrated through an installation that envisions worlds where indigenous knowledge systems and spiritual philosophies thrive and evolve. Rather than relegating these frameworks to a historical context, Mash presents them as vibrant, living entities.
The exhibition unfolds as an immersive journey, commencing with masekitlana, an indigenous storytelling game drawn from oral tradition, and culminating in a familiar nursery rhyme reimagined through Sepedi vowel sounds. These artistic gestures create an intergenerational atmosphere where play serves as a conduit for knowledge transmission and learning. Visitors navigate through a transformed street-language environment that reflects the informal infrastructures of everyday life and survival.
Beyond the initial entry, the space transitions into a more tranquil area. Here, unidentified seedlings are suspended in glass containers, tended by the Balemi (farmers), symbolizing both preservation and uncertainty. This act of care underscores the fragility of knowledge and its importance in shaping futures. Nearby, a waskom featuring migrating cows imparts a subtle sense of movement, echoing themes of displacement and return.
Detail view, Cow Mash, Give us this day our daily bread (Part 1), 2024, Corrugated planter, faux leather, resin. Image courtesy of the artist Cow Mash ditšwatšhemong.
At the heart of the installation is a revered inner space where waskoms and planters converge beneath an aerial view of tshemong. This thoughtful arrangement invites viewers to step into the role of the farmer, fostering engagement in a cultivation process that harmonizes material and symbolic significance. This environment gestures toward origins while remaining perpetually open to transformation, embodying a site of becoming rather than resolution.
Curator Puleng Plessie emphasizes Cow Mash’s self-identification as a “transdimensional farmer,” highlighting a comprehensive interpretation of cultivation. This notion transcends the mere tending of land, extending to memory, ritual, and envisioned futures. Notably, the motif of the grandmother’s garden emerges as a metaphorical bastion of abundance, healing, and cherished knowledge.
Positioned within the architectural framework of the Javett-UP Tower, ditšwatšhemong encourages viewers to contemplate their connections to land, memory, and future aspirations. It cultivates a practice that champions continuity across diverse worlds and generations.
The exhibition will be on display at the Javett Centre for Art at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, starting March 24, 2026.
