At first glance, a Cyx Daeng painting can feel dreamlike — clouds swirling above mythical creatures, temples tucked behind hills, families of rabbits nestled together under starry skies. But none of it is random. Every element, no matter how whimsical, holds symbolic meaning grounded in Balinese cosmology, ancestral reverence, and spiritual balance.
Understanding these symbols is like learning a new language — one that reveals a deeper emotional resonance behind the beauty. In this article, we unpack some of the recurring imagery in Cyx’s work, offering a glimpse into the layered storytelling that defines his art.
🐇 Rabbits: Guardians of Family, Lineage, and Renewal
Rabbits appear often in Cyx’s work, typically in family clusters. In Balinese lore, rabbits represent fertility, gentleness, and protection — but there’s also a quiet spirituality to their presence. Unlike Western depictions focused solely on reproduction, Cyx paints rabbits as watchers, nurturers, and keepers of peace.
In one painting, a family of rabbits sits motionless in the grass, ears alert. Look closely and you’ll notice their posture mirrors meditation, almost as if they’re absorbing energy from the land. Cyx has explained that these rabbits serve as stand-ins for his own ancestors — a nod to the quiet wisdom passed down through generations.
“The rabbit may be small,” he says, “but it listens to the earth.”
🐉 Dragons: Sacred Power and Transformation
In Balinese Hinduism, the dragon isn’t a villain or a beast — it’s a sacred guardian. Specifically, the Naga (serpent-dragon) represents the life force that flows through the land and the cosmos. When Cyx paints dragons, they aren’t raging through villages — they’re curling around temples, resting among clouds, or guarding ancient trees.
These dragons symbolize:
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Protection of sacred places
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Transformation through struggle
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The raw energy of nature balanced by wisdom
Collectors often find these pieces empowering. They carry an energy of quiet strength — not aggression, but grounded purpose. A reminder that real power isn’t always loud.
⛅ Clouds: The Breath Between Worlds
Clouds in Cyx Daeng’s paintings are almost always in motion — never static, never decorative. To Balinese spiritual thought, clouds are the intermediaries between the material and the divine. They symbolize the transitory, the unseen forces at work, and the breath of the world itself.
Cyx paints them using soft, swirling brushwork — visual poetry that invites meditation. These aren’t just atmospheric backdrops — they’re spiritual highways, connecting what’s above with what’s below.
“Clouds are the spaces between,” Cyx once told us. “Where memory lives.”
🏯 Temples: Anchors of Sacred Order
Many of Cyx’s works feature tiny temples tucked into hillsides or perched beside rivers. These are not specific geographic temples, but archetypes — symbols of inner balance, ancestral guidance, and connection to the divine.
In traditional Balinese philosophy, the temple is more than a structure — it’s a spiritual coordinate system. It connects people to place, soul to source, and community to cosmos.
In his paintings, temples offer a grounding presence. No matter how wild the dragon or how stormy the clouds, the temple stands still — reminding us that balance is always possible.
🌙 Celestial Symbols: Stars, Moons, and Cosmic Order
Scattered through Cyx’s work are symbols of the cosmos — often small, subtle, almost hidden. A single star above a rabbit family. A moon peeking through clouds near a dragon’s tail. These details aren’t filler — they represent the divine rhythm of life and time.
In Bali, the lunar calendar guides ritual life. Moons and stars are not distant lights; they’re part of daily decision-making, ceremony, and even agricultural rhythms. When Cyx includes them, he’s aligning the painting with cosmic time — adding a layer of spiritual alignment to each scene.
Reading the Art, Feeling the Meaning
You don’t need to be an expert in Balinese philosophy to appreciate Cyx Daeng’s work. But once you begin to understand the symbols — rabbits as ancestral protectors, dragons as sacred transformers, clouds as breath between worlds — the art deepens. It begins to speak more clearly.
And that’s part of what makes Cyx’s paintings so powerful for collectors and admirers alike. They are not just visual objects — they are meditative spaces, mythic landscapes, and spiritual reflections crafted in color and form.