Wilma Jr. (Blacky) from the series The Sport and Fair Play of Aussie Rules

In the stadium, fans abandon conventional behaviour. Painted faces, multicoloured hair, garish costumes and raucous chants surround the game with a deranged carnival. Eric Bridgeman recognises the historical precedents of such behaviour; the medieval carnivals in which rude parody temporarily inverted social norms. In The Sport and Fair Play of Aussie Rules (2008-09), which incorporates photographs and videoed performances, Bridgeman presents players and fans as over-the-top harlequins, melding circus and Mardi-Gras festival. At the same time, Bridgeman maintains the confronting element of carnival. Chanting and stomping, intruding into the streets, Bridgeman's clowns become a reminder of the latent aggression of the crowd. Wilma Jr. ('Blacky') (2010), originally photographed for The Sport and Fair Play of Aussie Rules, now emerges as a life-size sculpture. Wilma is an imagined relation of a real life athlete, the rugby league great Mal Meninga. Embedded in the work are the languages of ethnography and museum display; this athlete is a specimen in a museum diorama, surrounded by his tribal attributes. Wilma is honoured but objectified, surrounded by glitzy trophies, fast food and cheap souvenirs.