The Javett Art Centre at UP

11/06/2026

𝘿𝙞𝙩š𝙬𝙖𝙩š𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 is a solo exhibition by Tshwane-based artist Cow Mash, who engages with intersecting themes of lineage, source, and belonging. Bringing together personal history with broader cultural narratives, the exhibition is brought to life through a series of installations that shed light on a reconfigured world in which indigenous knowledge systems and cosmologies collide, adapt, and thrive.

Cow reflects a practice of working across time, positioning herself as a "transdimensional farmer”, a figure who cultivates not only land, but memory, ritual, and future worlds. Through this approach, Cow intentionally creates a space for intergenerational play and learning, while re-imaging lineage and indigenous knowledge systems through experimental forms of storytelling, play, ritual, and embodied practice.

Viewers are invited to inhabit a space where indigenous knowledge systems are not only remembered and recognised, but reimagined and continuously evolving.

𝘿𝙞𝙩š𝙬𝙖𝙩š𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 exhibition is curated by Puleng Plessie and Storm Janse van Rensburg with the Javett-UP curatorial team.

09/06/2026

Secure EARLYBIRD TICKETS on Week Passes & Sibling Special for winter’s Bokamoso Holiday Art Programme taking place from 28 June to 02 July 2026. Bookings now open via Webtickets.

This installment promises an exciting week of hands-on creative learning inspired by our new exhibition 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙡𝙨𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. Kids will be introduced to art-making techniques including textile sculpture, poetry-based paper works, synthetic hair sculpture, and cyanotype printing.

The programme opens with a special Family Day on Sunday, 28 June, inviting children and their families to create together through collaborative artmaking. Each child’s ticket includes entry for one accompanying parent or guardian. Additional guests may participate by purchasing a general admission ticket at R80.

This programme is supported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) of the High Commission of Canada in South Africa

offers a fun, safe, and enriching environment which nurtures the next generation of creative thinkers. It encourages self-expression, experimentation, and collaboration through art. It’s five days of inspiration, imagination, and self-discovery!

📅 28 June – 02 July
📍 Javett-UP
👧 Ages 7–15
🎟 Bookings now open via Webtickets https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1595840524

For enquiries: Email: [email protected] | Call 012 420 3960 | Whatsapp +27 71 209 6817 |

For more information visit www.javettup.com

05/06/2026

As South Africa commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Youth Uprising, Javett-UP presents 𝙒𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚: 𝙄’𝙢 𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, a special Youth Day public programme featuring Botswana-based artist Thero Makepe. The programme expands on his solo exhibition 𝙒𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚( 2020–ongoing), inviting audiences into an exploration of memory, migration, activism, youth resistance, and family history through the lens of archival practice.

Drawing from Makepe's engagement with family histories, Botswana’s artistic landscape, and his reflections on the movement as a catalyst for new forms of youth activism, the programme creates space for collective reflection on the role of young people in shaping social and cultural change.

At the heart of the programme is a curated archival navigation conversation mediated by Ludwekazi Ndlazi from Lit Culture Books . Using a family tree as a navigational compass, the session will move through music archives, film excerpts, photographs, and image-based storytelling, exploring archival practice as a living and evolving form of activism. Audiences will gain insight into Makepe’s methodology of responding to archives and the ways in which personal histories intersect with broader social and political narratives.

Event Information

Event: 𝙒𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚: 𝙄’𝙢 𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨
Date: 16 June 2026
Time: 10:00-14:00
Venue: Javett-UP
Admission: Free and open to the public (RSVP here https://forms.gle/4HW6VMf24T1PDG4K7
𝘙𝘴𝘷𝘱 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥

Programme
10:00 - Programme opens with a short film screening
10:30 - Artist-led walkabout with Thero Makepe
11:30 - Refreshments
12:00 - A conversation with Thero Makepe, moderated by Ludwekazi Ndlazi
14:00 - Programme closes

04/06/2026

Currently On View, the exhibition 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙡𝙨𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 gathers the voices of the Tlhagella Incubation Programmes’ top 10 artists, whose works reflect on history, the body, and the spaces they occupy or inhabit. The title Between Here and Elsewhere speaks to a sense of being in more than one place at once. Between the spiritual and the physical, between past and present, between intergenerational and the self, between home and elsewhere, and even between memory and lived experience.

The exhibition is curated by Puleng Plessie in collaboration with the participating Tlhagella artists and the Javett-UP curatorial team.

𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀

Abdullah Akram
Hulisani Khorombi
Kgothatso Clinton Mokale
Mohapi Pepenene
Patience Kekana
Regina Manapo Makoae
Senzelw’umusa Mathe
Thandi Baloyi
Thato Mothobi
Ziyanda Mkhosana

The Tlhagella Incubation Programme forms part of Javett-UP’s EmpowerED initiative, funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) by High Commission of Canada in South Africa , which supports emerging visual artists through mentorship, visibility, and development opportunities.

𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙡𝙨𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 will be on view until August 2026.

29/05/2026

Bookings are now officially open for the winter edition of Bokamoso Holiday Art Programme taking place from 28 June to 02 July 2026. We have Earlybird promotion on Week passes & Sibling Special selling on Webtickets https://tr.ee/LmtZtH.

This installment promises an exciting week of hands-on creative learning inspired by our new exhibition Between Here and Elsewhere. Kids will be introduced to art-making techniques including textile sculpture, poetry-based paper works, synthetic hair sculpture, and cyanotype printing.

The programme opens with a special Family Day on Sunday, 28 June, inviting children and their families to create together through collaborative artmaking. Each child’s ticket includes entry for one accompanying parent or guardian. Additional guests may participate by purchasing a general admission ticket at R80.

The sessions and workshops will be facilitated by Tlhagella Top 10 Artists featured in Between Here and Elsewhere exhibition on view. Their artworks reflect on history, identity, and spaces they inhabit.

offers a fun, safe, and enriching environment which nurtures the next generation of creative thinkers. It encourages self-expression, experimentation, and collaboration through art. It’s five days of inspiration, imagination, and self-discovery!

📅 28 June – 02 July
📍 Javett-UP
👧 Ages 7–15
🎟 Bookings now open via Webtickets https://tr.ee/LmtZtH

For enquiries: Email: [email protected] | Call 012 420 3960 | Whatsapp +27 71 209 6817 |

For more information visit www.javettup.com

28/05/2026

Visit us this Sunday, 31 May 2026 and enjoy a complimentary guided tour starting at 11:00. This is a perfect chance to experience and learn about our latest exhibitions.

RSVP for the tour using the link https://forms.gle/BD9BL6RTL6wN3BCL6

This offer covers only a guided tour. Normal entry rates apply (Adults R80. Free for tertiary students). Visit our website for more.

27/05/2026

Organised by University of Pretoria Museums and School of the Arts, the exhibition 𝙃𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 is an exploration of visibility, recognition, and discovery across multiple dimensions of Lucky Sibiya’s (1942 - 1999) life and work. The title reflects the paradox of an artist who lived and worked for decades in Hammanskraal and Pretoria, whose artworks entered respected public and private collections, yet whose significance has remained under acknowledged within the canon of South African art history. In this sense, Sibiya has been present all along, geographically, culturally, and institutionally, yet insufficiently seen.

A defining feature of the exhibition is the public integration of scientific material analysis within the gallery environment. By making conservation science visible and participatory, the exhibition reveals the material composition of artworks and demonstrates how scientific investigation can deepen understanding of artistic meaning, cultural context, and historical continuity. The title also speaks to the symbolic language embedded in his imagery, shaped by spiritual knowledge systems connected to ancestry, protection, and healing.

Hidden in Plain Sight functions as both a conceptual lens and curatorial strategy: to recognise an overlooked legacy, illuminate embedded cultural knowledge, and make visible the scientific processes through which artworks are created, preserved, and understood.

𝙃𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙩, 𝙇𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙎𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙮 𝙎𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙮𝙖, is curated by Salomé Le Roux and Dr Gerard de Kamper.

The exhibition can be viewed in The Bridge Gallery until February 2027.

26/05/2026

The on view exhibition 𝙊𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝘼𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙧𝙩 explores Southern African material culture from the 18th and early 19th centuries as an expression of lived experience and knowledge. The collection was started by Jonathan Lowen in Johannesburg in the 1960s, continued in London for three decades, and was acquired by Harry Oppenheimer in the mid-1980s, returning to South Africa.

Framed through an African Humanist perspective, this exhibition approaches material culture not as static evidence of the past, but as an expression of lived experience and living knowledge that is shaped by skill, belief, memory, and imagination. The title of the exhibition is drawn from a text by Es’kia Mphahlele (1919 - 2008) for the exhibition catalogue for ‘𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘳𝘵’ (1991) held at the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

𝙊𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 is realised through vital partnerships with the University of Pretoria's Heritage Conservation Programme and The Brenthurst Library; and is also made possible by the support of the Australian High Commission in South Africa .

The exhibition opened in March and will remain ON VIEW until January 2027

Visit between Tuesday to Saturday and the last Sunday of every month. We’re open from 10:00- 16:00.

25/05/2026

WATCH Thero Makepe talks to SABC News Morning Live about his solo exhibition 𝙒𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙏𝙤 𝘽𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 that is on view at Javett-UP. The exhibition is an ongoing, multi-media photographic project which weaves personal family history with the broader socio-political struggles of Botswana and South Africa, exploring themes of colonialism, apartheid, and migration.

'We Didn't Choose to Be Born Here' is an ongoing, multi-media photographic project by Botswana-born visual artist Thero Makepe. It weaves personal family his...

14/05/2026

The Javett-UP is deeply saddened by the passing of cultural icon and media giant Maria McCloy, who died after a heart failure on the evening of Tuesday, 12 May 2026.

Maria McCloy was a trusted collaborator whose industry expertise enriched our exhibitions and programmes. As a seasoned publicist and creative, she dedicated her career to shining a spotlight on South Africa’s art, culture, and heritage. Her work amplified the voices of both established icons and emerging talents, leaving an indelible mark on the artistic and cultural landscape.

Her commitment to nurturing young artists was most evident in her role as ambassador for our ongoing Tlhagella Incubation Programme. In this capacity, she not only helped us identify emerging talent but also offered invaluable mentorship, guiding the next generation of creatives with generosity and insight. Our final moment with her was at the exhibition opening of 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙡𝙨𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 by the Tlhagella Top 10 Artists on 01 May 2026, where she witnessed the impact of her contribution firsthand.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues across the industry. The arts community has lost a powerful voice and advocate. Maria McCloy’s legacy will continue to inspire, and her memory will remain a beacon for all who believe in the transformative power of art.

May her soul rest in peace.