ongoing exploration of Japanese Zen gardens. After his previous series centered on garden stones, Nikbakht now turns to the iconic stone lanterns—objects that have long shaped the meditative atmosphere of these landscapes.

In this new series, each painting is reduced to its essentials: a single color, a restrained composition, and a focus on stillness. With this simplicity, the artist invites viewers to step away from the noise of daily life and enter a quieter field of attention—one shaped by light, silence, and presence.

A recurring element in the works is a single Braille word rendered in phosphorescent pigment. Invisible during the day and glowing briefly in darkness, it acts as a subtle guide—echoing the lanterns’ historical role in softly lighting temple paths and garden walkways. This faint illumination becomes a metaphor for perception itself: a kind of seeing that is grounded not in brightness, but in awareness.

With Stone Lanterns, Nikbakht continues his dialogue with Zen aesthetics, offering paintings that function less as representations and more as moments of contemplation. Through minimal means, he opens a space where even the smallest glow becomes an invitation to pause, to look, and to simply be.