Discover the Divine in Art

Holy Cow! "Where the cow becomes cloud, sky, and mystery”

 

About Holy Cow! – The Exhibit ©

After a successful run from September 20th to October 23rd in Ottawa the works will be moving to Club Caledonia in Buenos Aires on November 8th. This exhibition, Holy Cow!, grew from a playful idea: what if the spots of the Holando-Argentina cow were not just markings, but clouds? What if the cow could slip in and out of the sky — sometimes an animal, sometimes a cloud, sometimes the sky itself? What if the cow lives not just as pasture animal, but also as cloud, as sky, as mystery?

Holy Cow! plays with humor and reverence. Across cultures, the cow has been seen as a connector of heaven and earth, a symbol of generosity and abundance. In these paintings, cows slip between cloud and pasture, yoga and mandala — living in many dimensions at once. For us mortals, they remind us of our own transitions between places, times, and ways of being.

In this exhibit, you’ll see the cow living many lives at once, moving between heaven and earth. And in some way, that reflects my own journey: moving between Canada and Argentina, while carrying ancestries that reach back to Denmark, Turkey, and Syria. Like the cow, I’ve learned to live in many spaces at once — and to find joy in those crossings.

So Holy Cow! is not only about cows and clouds — it’s also about identity, playfulness, and how we see ourselves reflected in the world around us.  Enjoy!

Explore Our Art Collection

A Visual Journey Through the Exhibit

Holy Cow! — Cows on Clouds

Where cows swing, clouds drift, and the sky becomes pasture !

Holy Cow! — Cows on Clouds is the playful origin of the whole exhibition. It began with a single image: a cow on a swing, floating among the clouds. That vision revealed the cow as more than an animal — it became sky, cloud, and dream all at once.

These paintings blur the line between heaven and earth. Spots dissolve into clouds, and clouds turn back into cows. Whimsical and light, the works remind us of the joy of suspension, of floating, of being held by both gravity and air.

For me, this series is about freedom and imagination. It’s about looking up at the sky and seeing shapes that invite us to play. The cow becomes our guide into that space — a creature that can walk the pasture, yet also drift with the clouds.

Holy Cow! — The Mandala Series

Where cows become yogis, mandalas bloom, and the sacred meets the playful.

Holy Cow! — The Mandala Series brings together whimsy and reverence. In these paintings, cows step into yoga and meditation poses, their bodies filled with mandalas that echo both playfulness and the sacred. Each cow becomes more than an animal: it is balance, breath, and quiet joy — a living mandala that connects heaven and earth.

Here, the cows are no longer only animals or clouds — they become yogis. They step into meditation and yoga poses, their bodies filled with mandalas. It’s whimsical, yes, but it also carries something deeper: the cow as a living mandala, a reminder of balance, breath, and quiet joy.

For me, this series is about play and reverence at the same time. It’s about how even in the simplest or funniest of images, we can find something sacred — a cow that connects heaven and earth, with a smile.

 

Holy Cow! — Between Hides and Clouds Series

Where spots become clouds, and the cow lives many lives at once.

Holy Cow! — Between Hides and Clouds Series is a meditation on transformation. In these works, the black-and-white spots of the Holando-Argentina cow dissolve into drifting clouds, and clouds return as cows. Visibility and invisibility dance together, as the animal shifts between forms — sometimes pasture-bound, sometimes sky-bound.

Each panel offers a passage between worlds: the cow is camouflaged, then revealed; solid, then airy. The quadriptych captures the rhythm of shifting identities, suggesting that nothing — not even the cow — is ever fixed. Identity itself is fluid, porous, and alive.

At the center of this series is the large canvas From Cow to Clouds. Here, the transformation becomes literal and theatrical: the painted cow emerges from a draped hide, half-covered in fabric, half-dissolving into clouds. It is both costume and revelation, both mask and unveiling. This piece anchors the series by showing the exact moment of metamorphosis — when the cow steps out of its own hide and begins to merge with the sky.

For me, this series is about fluidity and change. It’s about how we are never just one thing, but many — grounded yet floating, body and sky, visible and hidden. The cow becomes a mirror of this truth: that life itself is transition, and that beauty lies not in the fixed image, but in the spaces between.

 

 

Holy Cow! — The Urban Series

Where the extraordinary cow steps quietly into everyday life.

Holy Cow! — The Urban Series places the whimsical cow in ordinary settings: on docks, at sunsets, beneath vast skies. These are familiar human spaces, yet they become transformed when inhabited by the cow — suddenly filled with humor, tenderness, and quiet wonder.

The cow, usually tied to fields and pastures, enters our daily landscapes and softens them with presence. A dock by the lake, a walk at dusk, a view of the horizon — these moments are simple, but with the cow they become slightly magical, charged with play.

For me, this series is about noticing the sacred in the everyday. It’s about how joy and wonder can live in ordinary places if we choose to see them. The cow is both companion and reminder: that beauty doesn’t always need to be sought far away — sometimes it sits beside us, gently, in the urban, the mundane.

Holy Cow! — The Pop-Art Series

Where repetition meets play, and the ordinary turns iconic.

Holy Cow! — The Pop-Art Series explodes with color and bold contrasts. In these paintings, the cow is multiplied across pinks, yellows, oranges, and blues — a playful nod to pop-art traditions of repetition and vibrant palettes. Ordinary and familiar, the cow becomes an icon, glowing with humor and warmth.

Here, the cow is not only an animal but also a cultural symbol, endlessly reimagined in flat backgrounds and bright tones. It’s whimsical and fun, yet also a commentary: even the most humble of figures can be transformed into a radiant, repeated presence.

For me, this series is about joy and lightness. It’s about seeing the everyday cow — that calm, generous creature — suddenly bathed in pop color, luminous and new. It’s a reminder that reinvention is always possible, and that art can make even the ordinary.

Curatorial Statement by Berdhanya Swami Tierra, Artist

Holy Cow is an art show that makes a profound statement about education, agriculture, industry, and spirituality. Hendi’s fresh presentation evokes a strong emotional vocabulary that unites the conversations of pop art with personal inspiration.

Hendi presents five distinct collections in this exhibit. Each collection pushes the boundaries of playfulness, simplicity, and symbolic status.

In art, cows have long been a muse for artists seeking to symbolize various concepts, including wealth and power, as well as reflecting a farmer’s success, humility, peace, and simplicity due to their docile nature. As a producer of milk, the cow also embodies maternity, generosity, and nourishment. In certain cultures, particularly in India, cows hold significant spiritual meaning, representing prosperity and the sacred.

They are seen by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Stainer as an element that unites earth and sky. They also appear in art to convey national identity, as seen in Dutch paintings that symbolize pride in their agricultural industry, and in allegorical scenes depicting a peaceful, bucolic life.

Hendi’s multimedia collection consistently features flat, cloudy skies paired with child-like depictions of cows. These elements interact in both complementary and supplementary ways. The collection also shifts the perspective from flat representations to three-dimensional additions on the canvas, inviting viewers to explore their inner emotional landscapes and their connections to both infinite and earthly existence.

The collection evokes a place where spirituality and earthly attributes relax in a simple relation. This proposal aims to educate the mundane and help them witness the simplicity of life. At the same time, the use of mandalas printed on fabric lends the collection a social and cultural warmth.

Each piece not only interacts with the others but also invites viewers to incorporate them into their own emotional landscapes. The collection is flexible, playful, mobile, and free from static elements. Each work stands as an evocative unit, where the high contrast of the flat surfaces encourages reflection and imagination.

Hendi’s cultural connection is elevated, allowing spectators to reframe their relationship with the animal kingdom and direct their conceptual focus toward kindness, consideration, and humility. Holly Cow is a fresh artistic statement that stirs viewers to reflect on their connection

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who made this exhibition possible. To my family and friends for their constant encouragement, to my mentors for their guidance, and to my collaborators for their creativity and support.

A very special thanks goes to my husband Richard, for his unwavering support, and to my spiritual teacher Berdhanya, whose ongoing presence, inspiration, and light guide this journey.

I am deeply grateful as well to Ángeles Sol, whose vision, coordination, and curatorial work brought this exhibition to life; to the wonderful team at Arlington Five for opening their space with generosity; and to all the beings—visible and invisible—who continue to inspire and co-create this path of imagination and expression.

Phone

(613) 794-7558

Email

radha@hendi.ca

Exhibit Address (Ottawa)

5 Arlington Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 1C1

What Our Visitors Say

“Holy Cow is an art show that makes a profound statement about education, agriculture, industry, and spirituality. Hendi’s fresh presentation evokes a strong emotional vocabulary that unites the conversations of pop art with personal inspiration.”

Berdhanya Swami Tierra

Artist

“Holy Cow! offers a unique perspective that captivates and inspires. Very well curated.”

Richard St-Louis

Gallery Visitor

“A delightful journey through art that touches the soul. Highly recommended!”

Despo

Art Enthusiast

Join Us at Holy Cow in Buenos Aires (Club Caledonia) on November 8th

Experience the magic of Holy Cow! Visit our exhibit to see art that transcends the ordinary. Contact us for more details or to schedule a guided tour.