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Wahed Khakdan

  • This painting is among the most dramatic and yet hopeful works of Wahed Khakdan—an exquisitely melancholic and subtly humorous piece held in the Raha Middle East Gallery Collection. Khakdan, with his distinctive mastery, avoids depicting superficial joy; instead, he evokes a forgotten but resilient kind of happiness—one that lingers quietly within ordinary objects, faded memories, and muted colors. Embedded within the painting are layers of Iranian culture—carpets, traditional letters, the arrangement of everyday items—that deeply resonate with local viewers. At the same time, its neo-realist visual language and universally familiar symbols render the work intelligible to an international audience.

  • At Mah Gallery, Wahed Khakdan invites us into a world of suspended time and silent narratives. “The Silence of Shadows” is not merely a showcase of paintings, but a tender visual archaeology of love, loss, and the haunting residue of memory.

  • A total of 84 pieces were auctioned off, comprising 69 paintings, 10 calligraphy, 9 sculptures and metal engravings, 6 manuscript art, and 6 pictorial carpets.