Rule 30

The artwork is made from the original doors located at the front entrance of the Collingwood Football Club’s grounds at Victoria Park. The work depicts a big red target painted on the existing Blak and white stripes—Collingwood colours—of the door. Naina placed a fabric number ‘30’ on top of the target—created from material used for numbers on the back of players’ football vests.
Clinton Naina, Rule 30, 2011 metal, acrylic, enamel, felt on wood 276cm x 104cm unframed

In 1995 the Australian Football League introduced ‘Rule 30’ to combat racial and religious vilification.

The first racial vilification code in Australian sport, it prohibited conduct between players, clubs and other AFL officials, which threatened, disparaged, vilified or insulted another person on the basis of that person’s race, religion, colour, descent or ethnic origin. In 2013, ‘Rule 30’ was amended to ‘Rule 35’ to combat other forms of discrimination including disability, appearance and sexuality.

Clinton Naina’s earliest memory is attending Collingwood football matches at Victoria Park with his father and uncles. His dad was an avid Collingwood supporter and Naina proudly wore his football colours. Lining up to enter the grounds at the big old black-and-white painted wooden doors gave Naina the feeling of entering into another world. 

Rule 30 is a comment on race relations in sport. The artwork is made from the original doors located at the front entrance of the Collingwood Football Club’s grounds at Victoria Park. When the club was refurbished the door was gifted to Naina by a friend—an ex-Collingwood football player—for use in his art practice. The work depicts a big red target painted on the existing Blak and white stripes—Collingwood colours—of the door. Naina placed a fabric number ‘30’ on top of the target—created from material used for numbers on the back of players’ football vests. This represents the individuals who have been racially vilified while playing football over many years. The red represents the colour of human blood, while the Blak and white Collingwood colours already painted on the wood are a very fitting comment on race relations. The door itself becomes a potent metaphor for “overcoming barriers, making change, breaking down doors and moving forth into a new era of respect for people”.  

About the artist

Celebrated local artist Clinton Naina (formerly Nain) descends from the Meriam Mer people of the eastern Torres Strait as well as the Ku-Ku people of Cape York. He is a painter, dancer, performer and storyteller who obtained a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) from Melbourne’s VCA in 1994, and a Master of Fine Art (Research) from Sydney’s CoFA in 2003. His unique combination of materials and the potent imagery in his works expose the impact of British settlement and religious order imposed on his people.

Rule 30 was accessioned into the City of Yarra Collection in 2020 through Council’s ‘Percent for Art’ scheme. The work is installed in the Bob Rose stand of Victoria Park.