One of the best things about this year’s Frieze Week, well, besides Frieze, was the New York debut of 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair. Launched in London in 2013, 1:54 has established itself as Europe’s leading art fair devoted to contemporary African art. And, given its showing this weekend, it’s well on its way to doing the same in the US. Named for the fifty-four countries that constitute the African continent, the fair seeks to showcase the diversity of the African art scene today.

The New York edition took place at Pioneer Works, a reclaimed iron works factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn that artist Dustin Yellin converted into an art center. Rashid Ali’s London-based architecture and design studio RA Projects created a maze-like environment for the 16 galleries that flew in from places such as Paris, Marrakech, Cape Town and London to display their wares. Visitors who snaked their way through were rewarded with some incredible work. We weren’t able to attend the FORUM, but it featured artist talks, panels and lectures with the likes of Hank Willis Thomas, Lyle Ashton Harris, and Julie Mehretu, among others. The fair closed out Sunday evening with the New York Brass Band performing in Pioneer Works’ garden.

As for the artists, below are six from the fair that should be on your radar, if they aren’t already:

Aboudia

Untitled, 2015.
Courtesy of Jack Bell Gallery.

Hailing from the Ivory Coast, Aboudia’s work has drawn comparison to that of Basquiat. He’s noted for his expressive, large-scale, heavily layered paintings that employ a childlike style but depict dark imagery. In 2011, the artist took refuge in his studio as a brutal conflict played out in Abidjan following the 2010 elections. As a result, scenes of civil unrest figured prominently in his work during that period. Most recently, his paintings, which often incorporate collage, depict contemporary everyday life in Abidjan. His work has been featured in exhibitions organized by Jack Bell Gallery, Ethan Cohen Gallery and Gallery Mikael Andersen, and the Saatchi Gallery has purchased several of his canvases.

Conrad Botes

Sad Man’s Tongue, 2015
Courtesy of the artist and Bennett Contemporary .

Artist Conrad Botes grew up in South Africa under Apartheid. Using a post-pop, cartoon aesthetic, Botes employs satire to tackle serious issues of race and the human condition. His commentary is usually directed at South African society. For 1:54, he recreated his large-scale installation ‘Sad Man’s Tongue’, which is reminiscent of Keith Haring and combines black cardboard bronzes with white chalk on black board paint. Botes’ work has also been exhibited at MoMA, La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris and M Contemporary in Sydney, Australia.

Theo Eshetu

Anima Mundi, 2014.
Courtesy the artist and Axis Gallery

One of the more seasoned artists at 1:54, Theo Eshetu has been working as a video artist for over 30 years. Born in London, he spent his childhood in Ethiopia. In the 1970s he studied photography in London and lensed rock stars before switching over to video in the 1980s. He was one of the first artists to pioneer video-wall installations and in the 1990s, he also ventured in documentary filmmaking. Very much informed by his African and European background, Eshetu’s work dissects cultural symbols and religious iconography. On display at 1:54 was one of his famed kaleidoscopic works, ‘Anima Mundi’. Installed in a mirrored box, Eshetu’s mesmerizing piece blends a series of images that the artists describes as being the soul of the world.

Lebohang Kganye

The Alarm, 2013.
Courtesy of Afronova.

Lebohang Kganye is a photographer who lives and works in Johannesburg. Her photographs often incorporate elements of performance and sculpture, and could draw comparison to the work of Carrie Mae Weems. For Ke lefa laka, a photographic series, the artist mined her own family history. She dug up old photographs and spoke to family members to develop a narrative for the project, which in some images finds her dressing up as her grandfather and posing in front of cardboard cutouts. Through her work, Kganye explores her identity as a young black woman in a post-Aparteid society.

Jean-Claude Moschetti

Ouri#2, 2010.
Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery

Jean-Claude Moschetti is a French photojournalist who, while on assignment in West Africa, became fascinated with the secret societies that exist there. So much so, that he started shooting voodoo ceremonies for fun and joined the Egungun cult in Benin. Through his art practice, Moschetti explores the connection between the supernatural and the material world. For his three-part series Man on Earth, he created mesmerizing triptychs and diptychs that feature colorfully garbed quasi-bestial figures engaged in ritualistic dance.

Boris Nzebo

Urban Style, 2014.
Courtesy of Jack Bell Gallery

Influenced by the likes of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Rauschenberg, artist Boris Nzebo has referred to his work as Neo Pop Art. He currently resides in Douala, Camerroon and draws inspiration from his urban surroundings. His stylized, boldy-colored, multi-layered paintings are reminiscent of painted haircut advertisements found outside of Cameroon’s barber shops. Nzebo was bordering on poverty when Jack Bell discovered his work and brought it back to London. Now his paintings can be found in the Saatchi Gallery’s collection.