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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Two years after artist Rod Moss arrived in Alice Springs to teach painting, he met an Indigenous couple who had set up camp in the gully beside his flat. Over the next twenty-five years, his friendship with Xavier and Petrina Neil and the friendships that grew from it with the families of Whitegate, an Arrernte camp on the outskirts of town, would nourish and challenge Moss beyond his imagining.
'The Hard Light of Day offers a rare insight into the reality of life in the Centre, from the contours of the MacDonnell Ranges and the textures and sounds of Arrernte culture, to the endemic violence, alcoholism and ill-health that continue to devastate Aboriginal lives. In recalling the relationships and experiences that have shaped his life and work in Alice Springs, Moss reveals the human face behind the statistics and celebrates the enriching, transformative power of friendship.
'Illustrated with Moss's evocative paintings and photographs, The Hard Light of Day is an incredible journey into a world never shown in the mainstream media, and an artist's chronicle of the moments that have inspired him.' (From the publisher's website.)
Notes
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Dedication: For the Fathers: Geoffrey M, who knew the equal force of action and passivity; Warwick A, who unveiled the vital 'presences' of European art; Pierre E, who, in insisting on being 'just a man', challenged all tendencies to exaggearte; and Arranye J, whose humility allowed his country to speak through him.
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Epigraph: Art, all art, is a highly respectable matter, but it is superficial and frivolous if it is compared with the terrible seriousness of life. Ortega Y Gasset.
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This book was launched at the Peta Appleyard Gallery in Alice Springs on May 21st 2010, accompanied by a large exhibition of Rod Moss's art works.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Moss's Book Has a Hard Road before Seeing the Light of Day
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: Land Right News , October vol. 1 no. 1 2011; (p. 16)
— Review of The Hard Light of Day : An Artist's Story of Friendships in Arrernte Country 2010 single work autobiography 'Artist Rd Moss has spoken about the extraordinary 10 year effort behind his award-winning book The Hard Light of Day...' -
The Red Centre Revealed
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: UQ News , August no. 599 2011; (p. 20)
— Review of The Hard Light of Day : An Artist's Story of Friendships in Arrernte Country 2010 single work autobiography -
Visions of a Troubled Heart
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 23 July 2011; (p. 26) This column comments on Rod Moss's Hard Light of Day and on his exhibition Mirror, held at the Anna Pappas Gallery, Melbourne, 21 July - 21 August 2011. -
Two Cultures Can Hold Each Other
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: Meanjin , Autumn vol. 70 no. 2 2011; (p. 14-15) -
The Art of Acceptance
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 5-6 June 2010; (p. 40)
— Review of The Hard Light of Day : An Artist's Story of Friendships in Arrernte Country 2010 single work autobiography
-
Untitled
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , April vol. 89 no. 7 2010; (p. 38)
— Review of The Hard Light of Day : An Artist's Story of Friendships in Arrernte Country 2010 single work autobiography -
Images of Central Friendship
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 29 May 2010; (p. 25)
— Review of The Hard Light of Day : An Artist's Story of Friendships in Arrernte Country 2010 single work autobiography -
The Art of Acceptance
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 5-6 June 2010; (p. 40)
— Review of The Hard Light of Day : An Artist's Story of Friendships in Arrernte Country 2010 single work autobiography -
The Red Centre Revealed
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: UQ News , August no. 599 2011; (p. 20)
— Review of The Hard Light of Day : An Artist's Story of Friendships in Arrernte Country 2010 single work autobiography -
Moss's Book Has a Hard Road before Seeing the Light of Day
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: Land Right News , October vol. 1 no. 1 2011; (p. 16)
— Review of The Hard Light of Day : An Artist's Story of Friendships in Arrernte Country 2010 single work autobiography 'Artist Rd Moss has spoken about the extraordinary 10 year effort behind his award-winning book The Hard Light of Day...' -
Two Cultures Can Hold Each Other
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: Meanjin , Autumn vol. 70 no. 2 2011; (p. 14-15) -
Visions of a Troubled Heart
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 23 July 2011; (p. 26) This column comments on Rod Moss's Hard Light of Day and on his exhibition Mirror, held at the Anna Pappas Gallery, Melbourne, 21 July - 21 August 2011.
Awards
- Alice Springs, Southern Northern Territory, Northern Territory,