A glimpse at Luminato: Joni Mitchell and more

'I think everything is queer' says festival director

Luminato, Toronto’s annual arts and culture smorgasbord, has lots for the queers.

“I think everything [at the festival] is sort of queer,” says Luminato’s artistic director, Jörn Weisbrodt. “I mean, I think everything is a little different and off and new and exciting. And to me it is more about experience art than understanding.”

That said, of particular note to queer audiences is the Joni Mitchell tribute. Rufus Wainwright, Weisbrodt’s husband, is among the artists involved in the event.

There is also the Viktor & Rolf Dolls exhibit, which features miniature dolls dressed in haute couture outfits from the duo’s fashion house.

And there is The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, directed by Robert Wilson and featuring Abramovic as herself and her mother.

Sounds queer enough to us.

Luminato runs Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 23.

Below is an Xtra interview with Weisbrodt and Wainwright.

On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

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