Continuing the "galaxy" series in late 1980s, Hsiao already blended ideas of Daoist thinking, such as "being free from worldly cares" and entering the state of stillness, into his following artworks."Mind, eyes, heart and hands" are four aspects that an artist is supposed to take care of. Hsiao, however, ranks "mind and heart" above "eyes and hands." Hsiao tries to search for the answer to artistic creation through Daoism, and in the mean time, exposes himself to Western knowledge, such as "outer space," "extraterrestrial culture" and inner cosmos, which adds a sense of wonder and mystery to his works.

In terms of the composition, "Cosmic Vortex" shows a strong contrast between blank and lines on the canvas. The purple curves are so attractive that they seem to be wrestling with the blank background. The painting appears dynamic as well as static. Its momentum contracts inward as well as unfurls outward, which seems as if waves roar and whirl from a deep cosmic pool. Under the whistle of a strong wind, water seems to spray in all directions. It also looks like waterfalls with tens of thousands of silver threads or endless surging waves that crash into mountains and uproot trees, pouring down water to every layer of the cosmos. "Cosmic Vortex" can also be calm and elegant, as static as the scene depicted in Watching the Moon and Yearning for Those Afar by poet Zhang Juiling. The poem describes the moment the candle burns out and moonlight enters the room. The blank left in this painting can be compared to the inexhaustible moonlight that symbolizes a soft but endless feeling.