Chopped Liver; an expression meaning matters often overlooked or cast aside. This common phrase served as the figurative thesis-and later title-for Chopped Liver, a zine compilation of art, poetry, photography, and several chance encounters among curators of kindred spirits. Making its American debut during Bushwick Open Studios the weekend of September 27th-28th, the zine was produced by Callum Fairnie, founder of Fugazi Gallery, Connie Byun, owner of 3RD ETHOS Gallery, and Ree Van kuijck the curator of nascent publishing platform DOGMA. In conjunction with the Chopped Liver zine, there was an exhibition & zine fest, featuring artworks by artists who contributed to Chopped Liver; large-scale prints by Angus Watkins, original paintings by Masato Okano, photography by Brent Seamans, Thiago Dezan, and Van kuijck and limited edition prints by Kaiman to name a few. 

A cross-continental experience, Fairnie and Van kuijck came all the way from Australia, alongside featured artist Angus Watkins, to Brooklyn for the event bringing with them copies of Chopped Liver, selected pieces for the show, and several other Australian zines. For Van kuijck, it was her first time experiencing the New York City grit, but for Fairnie it was a return to the beautiful chaos.

Fairnie’s robust relationship with Bushwick is a byproduct of his artistic connection to Connie Byun. Beginning in 2018, the two first met while Fairnie was exploring the neighborhood. After coming across a flyer for a 3RD ETHOS art show in a local vinyl shop, he stopped by the gallery, looking for a place to showcase his own artwork, a collection mosaics. “I’d been by a few other galleries, but they weren’t a good fit… When I met Connie [Byun], I knew this was the place.”

“I grew up watching Sesame Street and that whole urban vibe… and here in Bushwick I found it,” Fairnie said describing his infatuation with the neighborhood. While regaling me on the origins of the project, Fairnie enthusiastically motioned with his hands. Tall with a broad Australian accent, the curator was sporting a cap decked out with pierced rings and carried with him an infectious optimism. “The community here is an essential part.”

After coming across a flyer for a 3RD ETHOS art show in a local vinyl shop, he stopped by the gallery, looking for a place to showcase his own artwork, a collection mosaics. “I’d been by a few other galleries, but they weren’t a good fit… When I met Connie [Byun], I knew this was the place.”

The community in Bushwick is truly one-of-a-kind, and there are few better to represent it than Byun. In 2017, she opened the flagship location for 3RD ETHOS Gallery at 154 Knickerbocker Avenue. Built around the concept of ‘the third place’ – where the first space is your home, your second your place of work, and your third where you socialize with community – Byun has curated dozens of art shows and helped launch the careers of even more artists. 3RD ETHOS has served as a third place for many creatives and as an intersection of art and community—a gathering place, platform, and launchpad for numerous local and international independent artists including Himbad, Infinite, Thiago Dezan, Angelonce & Goopmasta, Norbert 3000, Masato Okano, GxBxT, Matsuyama Studio, Punk Drunkers, Thrasheros, among many others. 

For years, 3RD ETHOS served as the heart of the Bushwick art community. During COVID, 3RD ETHOS remained open and operational, however due to a rent hike she chose not to renew the lease, closing the initial space on December 31st 2022. Not one to be setback, Byun pivoted toward a partnership with The Grassy Noll at 184 Noll Street, around the block, where she continues to showcase and champion emerging independent artists and experimental exhibitions, pushing the boundaries of traditional norms. Byun has overseen a series of exhibitions among these new walls and beyond, Chopped Liver among them.

Byun has curated dozens of art shows and helped launch the careers of even more artists. 3RD ETHOS has served as a third place for many creatives and as an intersection of art and community—a gathering place, platform, and launchpad for numerous local and international independent artists including Himbad, Infinite, Thiago Dezan, Angelonce & Goopmasta, Norbert 3000, Masato Okano, GxBxT, Matsuyama Studio, Punk Drunkers, Thrasheros, among many others. 

After their initial meeting, Fairnie returned for Bushwick Open Studios 2019 at Byun’s suggestion, for his solo show, PopIcons, a collection of his mosaic pieces in 2019. “Bushwick Open Studios has always been about that DIY vibe, that grassroots community.” Byun said. Their collaborative discussions continued through the years, as they percolated on ideas, culminating in a follow up group show ‘R3NDEZVOUS’ in November 2023, marking the beginning of a fruitful collaborative series between Western Australian and New York artists.  Byun invited and featured key artists who were significant collaborators of the gallery, “vital to the story of 3RD ETHOS,” including MadVaillan, Lucky Rabbit, Masato Okano, and Leaf among others. As the title suggests, it represents a meeting at a specific place and time. 

For R3NDEZVOUS, the team hosted the show at the original 3RD ETHOS location, a matter of significant meaning to both Byun and Fairnie. “It is the third place for many, especially for 

Fairnie and served as the meeting and gathering place for artists, art lovers, and the local community to inspire and connect through arts.” Byun explained.

Inspired by Byun and her dedication to the 3RD ETHOS artists and the arts community, Fairnie launched his own gallery space in Southwest Australia. Prior to Fugazi, Fairnie worked in emergency management, assisting communities recovering from bushfires, floods, and other natural disasters such as COVID. “One of the things I loved about working in emergency management was helping communities. I was part of a yearly artists led workshop in Melbourne (Refuge) inviting emergency services in to prepare for disasters.” These artist driven events had such a huge impact on Fairnie that he modelled Fugazi Gallery on that community led aspect, in addition for his admiration for what Byun had achieved at 3RD ETHOS Gallery.

Aiming to incorporate aspects of what made Bushwick a thriving collective, he set up shop in an industrial district about 3 hours south of Perth in Western Australia (WA). Known mostly for its big waves and wineries, the surf town didn’t have much in the way of a gritty art scene, but the artist-turned-gallerist was determined to build one. It was through this context, that Fairnie met artist Angus Watkins who joined him on the journey to New York. “When [Fairnie] told me about the show, a lightning bolt hit me, and I decided I needed to come to NYC.” Watkins said.

Their collaborative discussions continued through the years, as they percolated on ideas, culminating in a follow up group show ‘R3NDEZVOUS’ in November 2023, marking the beginning of a fruitful collaborative series between Western Australian and New York artists.

The two initially connected at an exhibition on the beach with most of the art focusing on traditional landscapes. As the two outsiders amongst the conventional minds, they formed a bond. Watkins has two pieces of art in Chopped Liver, and live painted during the Open Studios exhibition. “Cal [Fairnie] has prompted all my best pieces. Some of my favorite pieces I’ve done are the ones I made for shows at [Fugazi Gallery.] He’ll give me a theme and I just get at it.”  

By coincidence—or perhaps fate—it was a fusion of raw originality when Fairnie crossed paths with Ree Van kuijck. From the very beginning, their shared spark and creative drive ignited a collaboration that has become a powerful force behind their collective projects. Van kuijck grew up in a remote town in Central Queensland, where in her words there wasn’t much room for artistic expression. “There’s this box, and your expected to conform to it. And when you leave, your stimulated by the possibilities of what individuality can really look like.”  Drawn to both photography and writing, Van kuijck describes her connection to these mediums as an attraction to the deep emotional resonance they create. “Both can deceive or serve as a mirror, reflecting back at you, or they can transport you entirely elsewhere.” She views writing as a medium that captures the power of emotion through words, adding, “I’m drawn to how words can hold such an affinity with our emotions, expressing what we often struggle to say.”

“One of the things I loved about working in emergency management was helping communities. I was part of a yearly artists led workshop in Melbourne (Refuge) inviting emergency services in to prepare for disasters.”

“When Cal [Fairnie] and I first met, we talked for hours, he has this balloon theory – where we just go up, up, up, up!” She recalled with a smile. They two have been collaborators since, with Van kuijck crediting Fairnie’s infectious energy and “enabling mind” for inspiring her to delve deeper into her own ventures. “He had all the apples, and he just let me pick them,” Van kuijck recalled. 

Fairnie added, ‘Meeting Ree [Van kujick] has been a game-changer for my creative journey. From the early days of our collaboration, we’ve inspired and pushed each other in ways that transcend just ideas—it’s been a shared path of artistic discovery and ambition. Her energy, commitment, and deep passion for storytelling were as much a catalyst for me as anything I contributed to our partnership. Our long coffee-fueled planning sessions would dive into everything – zines, New York, Fugazi events and much more, sparking new ideas and opening up countless possibilities. She wasn’t just along for the ride; she was, and still is, a co-architect of the vision we’re building together.”

Chopped Liver began to take shape during their initial meetings, with Van kuijck playing a key role in sparking the idea of a publishing platform to showcase artists. While she was initially hesitant about creating visual art for the gallery, she was deeply intrigued by the potential of the zine format to bring together diverse creative voices. “[Van kujick] was the one who really pushed the idea of publications,” Fairnie recalled. “We sat down, talked about art, and she told me about her ideas to publish books. It was then that I realized how this could tie in with my connections in New York through Connie and 3RD ETHOS.”  

This segued in perfectly to conversations Fairnie had been having over the previous few years with Byun over a different type of collaboration between the 3RD ETHOS and Fugazi Gallery artists. “Connie [Byun] up and said, you want to do collaboration but in a cool old school format?” Fairnie said. “And then we just went bang! And put it all together. Artists from 3RD ETHOS, artists from Fugazi.” Byun added, “Artists were thoughtfully selected based on their style and work that best aligned with the concept of the zine. A zine perfectly embodies the DIY culture that we grew up with. It’s an accessible tangible item that people can connect with outside of the mainstream – a unique piece of art that they can own.”

“Her energy, commitment, and deep passion for storytelling were as much a catalyst for me as anything I contributed to our partnership.”

An aspect that appealed to them was the zine’s capacity to get around in the hands of artists and collectors. “Artwork is tough, but we needed to something be portable and affordable. I said, ‘stuff it, let’s give it a try.’” Fairnie explained. “I ran it by Connie [Byun] and said, ‘what do you reckon?’” 

The project evolved over time, at one point being a more traditional-style magazine with analytical artists interviews before eschewing that idea in favor of a more avant-garde approach. Van kuijck wrote the text for the project on a busted typewriter in a shoebox to stay true to the DIY feel. “There was ink running all over the place, but I loved it,” she said. “We took a ‘no rules’ approach, where people can read between the lines,” Fairnie explained.

On curating the exhibition, Byun explained, “I selected artists whose styles and works aligned with the zine’s theme. It was important that their work would translate effectively into a zine format to showcase their talents and voices. For instance, Masato Okano’s incredibly detailed illustrations capture the essence of punk and hardcore heavy metal culture, Thiago’s edgy black-and-white photography documents the dark underbelly of society and political unrest, while Brent’s 35mm black-and-white candid images provide a poetic perspective on the people and streets of NYC.” Fairnie also brought with him trusted Fugazi Gallery collaborators, including Watkins and Van kuijck. Van kuijck not only shaped the zine’s content but also took charge of its production, which later inspired her to launch her platform, DOGMA.  

The theme ‘Roots of Discontent’ feels especially timely. Van kuijck explained “discontent is universal, but it varies by location. In New York, the city’s diversity and intensity create a broader stage for expression. The hectic pace and social fabric of New York drive bold acts of dissent—whether through street art, activism, or underground movements—fueled by inequality, gentrification, and unrest. In contrast, Margaret River’s discontent is quieter, rooted in isolation, environmental concerns, and the pressure to conform. It may not have the chaotic energy of NYC, but its resistance is deeply personal and just as powerful.” 

Before taking it to the Big Apple, Fairnie and crew hosted a zine festival at a local tattoo shop, Purple Crown, setting up magazine displays mimicking old school New York newsstands, inspired from previous brainstorming sessions with Byun. The exhibit was complimented with flash tats and slam poetry – with people loving the vibe and flocking to the event in droves. Knowing they had an enchanting piece of art in Chopped Liver, the team came to Bushwick to show Brooklyn what they’d made, plus a few other zines for the launch party and zine festival. 

The Brooklyn opening was a success with a steady crowd of artists and supporters who came to check out the zine and exhibition. On the show, Byun explained, “This is our second collaborative exhibition between 3RD ETHOS and Fugazi Gallery, and it’s amazing that Fairnie, Van kuijck, and Watkins have traveled from Western Australia to Bushwick, Brooklyn, for this event. The incredible dedication, collaborations, and contributions of everyone involved in realizing the Chopped Liver zine fest and exhibition demonstrate how our creative dialogue continues to evolve and grow, connecting diverse talents from around the world.”

The show remains on display at 3RD ETHOS Gallery for the public to check out during business hours, open every day from 2-10pm. Meanwhile, Van kuijck has been successful in seeking out the New York distribution outlets for Chopped Liver, including iconic bookstore Village Works in St Marks Place. Fairnie continued his journey to Southern California, armed with copies of Chopped Liver, DOGMA’s Pyre and other assorted zines to continue the festival in San Clemente.  

“This is our second collaborative exhibition between 3RD ETHOS and Fugazi Gallery, and it’s amazing that Fairnie, Van kuijck, and Watkins have traveled from Western Australia to Bushwick, Brooklyn, for this event.”

The team is already in discussions about an ambitious series of projects in 2025, which, pending funding, would inverse this year’s collaboration by bringing the energy and talent of 3RD ETHOS artists—both from New York and around the globe—to Western Australia. Key artists such as Brent Seamans, Masato Chaos, and Thiago Dezan, who were integral to the Chopped Liver project, are slated to make the journey, along with Byun who will curate and collaborate with Fugazi Gallery and DOGMA in producing the series. These events will encompass not only exhibitions but also street art trails, mural festivals, immersive workshops, zine festivals, and more. This cross-cultural explosion of creativity aims to give 3RD ETHOS artists the chance to experience Western Australia’s unique landscapes and its thriving DIY art scene, ensuring these international artists connect deeply with WA’s grassroots art community while continuing to build lasting artistic bridges between the 3RD ETHOS artists and Australia. While this bold vision hinges on securing grant support, the groundwork is already in place, and the team is eager to see it take shape.

Outside of the 2025 Australia tour, each organization is making significant strides. Byun continues to shine at 3RD ETHOS in the new location, showcasing some of the worlds most talented and promising artists while passionately supporting grassroots creators. Meanwhile, Van kuijck is expanding DOGMA’s reach internationally, taking the platform on a creative tour through Central America. As she gears up for her return to Australia, she’s preparing to elevate the voices of both local and international artists in the immersive Doghouse—a space dedicated to unfiltered and authentic self-expression, with DOGMA becoming a true hub for boundary-pushing art, performance, and storytelling. As Fairnie and Fugazi Gallery venture deeper into uncharted realms, the future brims with infinite possibilities. Fairnie is quietly crafting new pathways to unveil art and information that challenge convention, all the while cultivating a network of voices poised to disrupt and dismantle the familiar.

With such a talented team and inspired ideas, there’s no limit to what they can achieve, and the only way for them to go is ‘up, up, up!