...Then, one day, lost in that other zone I had an epiphany: this new world I was traveling into was inhabited by mysterious creatures that took the shape of throwaway objects. Since then I have believed that all around us, there is some kind of sub-reality filled with Mutant objects, the ones we take advantage of and then we abandon. The cause of their mutation is still unknown to me. But it seems that, when escaping the control of ownership, they finally get to have an existence of their own which transforms them. Homeless but free, they wander the streets in an altered state, glittering with their last flamboyancy and displaying a neglected but captivating beauty. Unanimated at first sight, these half-zombie half-insane objects, can reawake from the dead in doubtful conditions creating weird and unusual scenes that tell us the most absurd stories. It’s a sad story that is the one of the Mutants. Young and strong, they are linked to slavery and the satisfaction of our selfish desires. Only when they are used and tired do they get to be free. They never get to express themselves with all their potential. The world of the mutants is fascinating, yet terrifying. It is invisible for most of us. One day, I’m sure, they will have revenge and the Great Rebellion of the Mutants will take place. For us humans, these days will be dark and scary. But I won’t be as afraid as you all, since I will have gotten to know them slowly, by seeing what they really are.

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2010 PHOTOS
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2009 PHOTOS

Then, one day, lost in that other zone I had an epiphany: this new world I was traveling into was inhabited by mysterious creatures that took the shape of throwaway objects. Since then I have believed that all around us, there is some kind of sub-reality filled with Mutant objects, the ones we take advantage of and then we abandon. The cause of their mutation is still unknown to me. But it seems that, when escaping the control of ownership, they finally get to have an existence of their own which transforms them.

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2008 PHOTOS
2007 PHOTOS
2006 PHOTOS

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Karine Cossette est une artiste vivant et travaillant à Montréal. Son travail, regroupé dans le projet Mutants, explore les possibilités surréelles des objets abandonnés dans l’espace public. Bâti autour d’un scénario mettant en vedette son alter ego, Kassie Cornette, Mutants sous-entend l’existence d’une réalité parallèle habitée par les objets que nous rejetons. En 2008, elle entreprend un voyage de deux mois aux États-Unis avec le soutient du Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec afin de photographier des roadside attractions tout autant étranges que spectaculaires. Elle a récemment achevé une installation in-situ recréant l’espace intime et chaotique de Kassie Cornette dans un appartement loué pour l’occasion.

Karine Cossette (b. 1981, Montreal, Quebec) received a BFA from Concordia University in Montreal where she currently lives and works. Her work is mostly organized around the Mutants, an ongoing project that explores, though a fictional plot, the surreal possibilities surrounding abandoned objects. During the summer of 2008, with the support of the Quebec Art Council she went in a trip to the United States to document various abandoned roadside attractions. She recently achieved an in-situ installation where she recreate the life environnement her alter-ego, Kassie Cornette.

karinecossette[at]gmail.com