Luminato 2013: Marina Abramović, Willem Dafoe, Rufus Wainwright and a giant claw arcade game at opening night

See Luminato opening party photos »

On Friday night, Toronto’s arts elite flooded the sprawling canopied lobby of Brookfield Place for the opening of the Luminato arts festival. The event was activity-stacked, with Yves Saint Laurent handing out engraved Touche Eclat pens and branded cigars and a gigantic claw arcade machine in the centre of the room. The machine, entitled Stockpile, is actually one big performance art piece, with the part of the claw being acted out by nine different artists and the curious items in the cage being donated by the community. Naturally.

Fresh off the debut performance of The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, Marina Abramović and Willem Dafoe joined in on the festivities alongside Luminato creative director Jörn Weisbrodt and husband Rufus Wainwright, who wore a custom made Jean-Charles de Castelbajac cloud-print suit. Elsewhere, Knot PR’s Amy Burtsyn-Fritz was making her own festive statement in a shimmering 3.1 Phillip Lim cocktail dress alongside freshly minted husband, Graham Smith.

Does this little taste of weirdness strike your fancy? Get thee to one of Luminato 2013’s events.

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

Photography by George Pimentel

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Luminato 2013

Marina Abramovic and Willem Dafoe

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Luminato 2013

Robert Wilson, Jorn Weisbrodt and Rufus Wainwright

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Luminato 2013

Amy Burstyn-Fritz and Graham Smith

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Luminato 2013

Gracie Carroll and Odessa Paloma-Parker

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Luminato 2013

Tony and Lina Gagliano

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Rani Sheen and Lara Mrkoci

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Luminato 2013

Arsinée Khanjian and Atom Egoyan

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Luminato 2013

Janice Price

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Luminato 2013

Marina Abramovic and Jeanne Beker

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Luminato 2013

Jeffrey Remedios and Jian Ghomeshi

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Luminato 2013

Barry Avrich and Melissa Manly

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Luminato 2013

Michael Gagliano and Denise Wang

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Luminato 2013

Margaret Prosser and Johannes Zits

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Luminato 2013

Shakura S’Aida and Jay Strut

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Luminato 2013

Laura and Jonah Mann

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Luminato 2013