On June 1, the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery threw its annual and widely talked about fundraising party: The Power Ball, presented by Max Mara. For the nineteenth consecutive year, Toronto artists and fashionistas, party people and celebrities came together to enjoy contemporary art in a large celebration in the heart of the city.

This year, almost 1,500 guests attended the event. They were all “greeted” by mannequins in luxurious outfits by Max Mara on a red carpet by the entrance.

Then, as they went further into the venue, they could observe the photographic series Outset by a young photographer from Virginia, Torrance Hall, who is a winner of the National YoungArts Foundation’s 2017 Max Mara Young Visionary Award. His pictures and self-portraits were hanging like curtains and guests were taking lots of photos with them.

On the other side of the gallery, Daniel Barrow’s artworks Learning to Breathe Underwater and House on Fire fascinated the crowd. Attendees also had a chance to personally ”interact” with the presentation and move images on the projectors that controlled the art displays.

Inside the gallery, Kelly Richardson’s Erudition, a depiction of a landscape with white trees, was projected onto a huge wall. Guests were lining up to take photos by it, as the holographic trees moved around.

Another room was transformed into a huge dance-floor party with large projections of Max Mara’s runway shows. This room was full of people, dancing all night to the tunes of Ralph and DJ YUKNODIS.

This year, Power Ball also impressed its guests with an edible selfie wall. Two walls in a hallway were decorated with real marshmallows that had a rainbow hue under the neon lights. This caused a lot of amusement, as guests had a colourful backdrop for their selfies as well as a sweet treat.

Outside the gallery, attendees were treated to plenty of food by P&L Catering, including a large table with charcuterie and Peruvian seafood ceviches, as well as a cheese station. The choice of drinks satisfied any taste and ranged from open bars with vodka, tequila and bourbon, to beer and wine.

On the outdoor terrace, guests were gushing over a DeLorean with its doors up, as if it has emerged from Back to the Future films. There was also a photobooth and a virtual reality booth.

The highlight of the outdoor party was a live performance by Darcys, presented by WayHome Music and Arts Festival.

Many notable guests, Toronto celebrities and influencers were in attendance that night. The most noteworthy appearance was by Dan and Dean Caten of DSquared, who made it to the event before taking off to New York. They were spotted along with Kirk Pickersgill from the design duo Greta Constantine.

Every year, the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery does not fail to throw the party of the year and we are excited to see how they’ll impress the guests next year, for their 20th anniversary!