Port Adelaide Power have launched an investigation after claims that the design for their indigenous guernsey may have been plagiarised.
"Port Adelaide is aware of allegations that surfaced on social media last night regarding the design of its indigenous guernsey," the club said in a statement on Friday.
"The club is investigating the allegations and will not make further comment until it has all the information at hand."
The shocking twist surrounding the special guernsey for Sir Doug Nicholls Round came less than 48 hours after the club unveiled the design at a media event, alongside its 17-year-old artist, who was from Port Adelaide's indigenous youth program, Aboriginal Power Cup.
The guernsey design was chosen by the club after a competition encouraged high school students to submit entries which "represents their family, culture and heritage".
At the launch of her winning design, the indigenous teenager openly admitted that she was inspired by images she had seen on Instagram.
"The detail around it is really special, so as an indigenous player at the club I'm proud to wear it," Port Adelaide star Steven Motlop told media this week.
https://twitter.com/taylahjade_/status/1395350547339698176
However after a woman claiming to be the artist of the original design spoke out on social media overnight, demanding answers from Port Adelaide, the club is now scrambling with all mention of the guernsey removed from their social media and website in what has become a PR disaster for all involved.
Elle Campbell took to Instagram to share her outrage, claiming her "exact painting" was on the Power's guernsey, and she posted her proof that her artwork was originally shown at an exhibition in May 2019 at Flinders Medical Centre as part of National Reconciliation Week.
"Wow. This is MY painting, someone has submitted it as their own and PAFC are using it for their guernsey," Campbell posted on Instagram with images of her work.
"I am deeply hurt by the use of this painting and the 'artist' claiming this work [to] be their own."
After more details emerged about the Murray Bridge student that won the Power's competition, Campbell did urge the public not to point fingers at the teenager and instead supported a friend who argued that the club had more to answer for.
"Feeling pretty heartbroken that another Aboriginal woman has stolen my artwork that not only means so much to me but it also one of my first paintings," Campbell wrote.
"The most heartbreaking part is wanting my art to be seen on my own merit, not because something like this happening. That's now been taken away from me."
https://twitter.com/joshmoney__/status/1394812127890731009
"The meaning behind this painting was of my families' ancestral burial ground at Kingston S.E. and the connection we still have with the native flora and fauna on those lands," she explained on Instagram.
"My mother had sent me a photo of some kangaroos coming out from the scrub to go have a dip in the water, which was the inspiration for this paining."
The guernsey was set to feature in Port Adelaide's clash against Fremantle Dockers on May 30, but now it is unknown if the design will have to be scrapped.
Remarkably it's not the first time Port Adelaide have been accused of plagiarism in regards to a design involving the club. In 2019 they faced allegations from Australian designer Dean Robinson that their commemorative 150th anniversary logo re-design "two years in the making" was eerily similar to Robinson's own recreation of Power's emblem, made and shared online in 2015.
https://twitter.com/thirdkit/status/1183211873690193920
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.