Gold in Bali by Zack Zublena

In Bali, gold is never mere ornament. It dresses the temples, lights up the dancers, covers the ceremonial textiles. It speaks of the sacred, of light, of the presence of the divine in everyday life. From Los Angeles, one artist has made gold his language. And that language resonates strikingly with the soul of the Island of the Gods.

An Artist Who Paints the Body in Gold

Since 2016, Zack Zublena has painted the human body in gold and photographed it as living sculpture. Dancers, yogis, contortionists, athletes: men and women whose strength and grace become light. French-American, of Italian origin, and based in Los Angeles, he has created an instantly recognizable visual world: warm, sculptural, sensual and timeless.

His story with gold goes back a long way. His family name comes from Zubiena, a small village in northern Italy that is home to a gold museum. As if gold had always been waiting for him.

His artworks are not made only for galleries. They are made to live in real places, where people come to train, rest, celebrate and reconnect: spas, clubs, resorts, hotels, restaurants and private homes. His collections are presented on zackzublena.com.

Gold in Bali: A Sacred Language

Anyone who has visited Bali knows the place gold holds in the island’s culture. It shines on the carved temple doors, on the crowns and costumes of the Legong dancers, on the parasols of the ceremonies. The Balinese even master an ancient art, prada: applying gold leaf to sacred textiles worn during the great ceremonies.

In Bali, as in his art, gold is not a sign of ostentatious wealth. It is light, offering, transformation. It elevates whatever it covers. When he paints a body in gold, it is not to decorate it, but to reveal what is most precious about it: its presence.

In Indian art, whose heritage still lives in Bali, Shiva Nataraja dances at the heart of a circle of flames: the dance of creation and transformation. The artist sees in it a profound source of inspiration. His dancers painted in gold, his fire dancer photographed at sunset, his bodies in motion all speak of the same mystery: the body that, through dance and light, becomes sacred.

In an in-depth interview with Awakened Magazine, the artist describes how his research led him to Hinduism, where ancient texts call gold “mineral light.” He also speaks of the Hiranyagarbha of the Rig Veda, the golden cosmic egg from which all creation is born. For him, gold represents above all the purity of the soul: an idea that Bali’s Hindu heritage understands intimately.

More Than 120 David Lloyd Clubs: Proof at Scale

This is the largest professional installation of his artworks, and one of the most remarkable placements of fine art photography in the wellness world. His golden figures were selected for the interior decoration of more than 120 David Lloyd clubs, Europe’s leading premium health and wellness group, which has since grown to more than 140 clubs. Every day, in entrance halls, studios, lounges, spas and recovery areas, more than one million members walk past these images. Read the full story of the David Lloyd installation.

Decorating at that scale takes more than beautiful photographs. The artworks must remain coherent from one club to the next while adapting to different architecture, light and uses. Energetic compositions bring movement to fitness spaces; more contemplative images bring calm to spas and lounges. The result: a recognizable visual identity, one golden signature across an entire network.

For Spas and Wellness Spaces: A Natural Fit for Bali

Bali is one of the world’s capitals of wellness. From Ubud, with its yoga shalas suspended above the rice terraces, to the spas of Seminyak, Nusa Dua and Uluwatu, the island has turned the art of caring for oneself into a true culture.

Gold, the body and stillness: few visual languages are so naturally suited to wellness. In a spa, a treatment room or a meditation space, these photographs do not shout. They invite guests to slow down, to breathe, to return to their own body. Exactly what Bali’s great spas offer their guests.

This intimate diptych, pairing golden lips with flowers photographed in the artist’s own garden, was chosen for a David Lloyd spa. In Bali, where frangipani blossoms perfume every offering, this dialogue between the body and nature would find its place naturally.

For the yoga studios and retreats that have made Ubud and Canggu famous, his compositions of yogis and contortionists painted in gold, both powerful and soothing, extend the energy of the practice.

The Lion, the Leopard and the Barong

Among his collections, one speaks to Bali in a special way: Animal Fusion. Here the golden body merges with the lion and the leopard, which the artist photographed himself in the wild, in Kruger Park, South Africa.

In Bali, the lion holds a unique place: the Barong, a mythical lion-like creature, is the protective guardian, the symbol of good in the eternal balance between light and shadow. Its golden mane and shimmering ornaments make it one of the island’s most beloved figures. The same idea, the union of the human and the sacred animal, runs through Animal Fusion: a protective, luminous, deeply alive force.

For Resorts, Hotels and Restaurants

Bali is also one of the world’s great luxury hospitality destinations: villas in Seminyak, cliffside resorts in Uluwatu, jungle retreats in Ubud, hotels in Jimbaran and Nusa Dua. In hospitality, the first impression is everything. A lobby, a suite, a restaurant or a rooftop tells guests who you are before a single word is spoken.

Golden figurative photography gives these places a strong and elegant identity: warm enough for a villa, bold enough for a resort, refined enough for a fine-dining room. And gold harmonizes naturally with the materials of Balinese architecture: carved wood, volcanic stone, bamboo, teak and tropical light.

Interior designers, art consultants and hotel groups work with Zack Zublena to select artworks, diptychs and series suited to each space: a statement piece for an entrance, diptychs and triptychs for long walls, coherent collections for multi-location projects. Limited editions are available in sizes up to 46 x 72 inches.

Become a Golden Artwork Yourself

Gold is not only for walls. The artist also offers a rare experience: becoming the artwork yourself. The body is painted in gold by hand, then photographed as a living sculpture. For travelers who come to Bali seeking inner transformation, the idea will feel familiar. Both experiences are booked through zackzublena.com.

Go Further

• In the press: the Awakened Magazine interview: the sacred frequency of gold and the divine potential within each of us.
• Gold Fine Art in More Than 120 Luxury Club Interiors: the story behind the David Lloyd installation.
• The Gold Master, Based in Los Angeles: the vision of a world illuminated by gold.
• Animal Fusion: Where Gold and Big Cats Meet: golden bodies merging with the lion and the leopard.
• Gold Fine Art Photography for Luxury Interiors: how gold transforms a space.
• The Stories Behind the Diptychs and Triptychs: the personal history behind each set.
• The Most Beautiful Coffee Table Book Gift for Connoisseurs: a limited edition of only 100 copies.

Bring Gold Into Your Space

Whether you run a spa, a resort, a villa, a hotel or a restaurant in Bali, or design interiors for those who do, gold can become part of your identity, as it already is in more than 120 David Lloyd clubs.

Contact Zack Zublena to discuss your project, or explore the collections on zackzublena.com.