Kamea Hadar is dreaming big: 20 feet high and rising, actually.

The centerpiece of his up-and-coming art show, "White Dreams," hangs in the center of an exhibition at Loft in Space, the warehouse behind Fresh Cafe, "like a chandelier," Hadar said, representing his love for Hawaii.

He described the work as a fantastical installation painted on wood panels — an image of a young woman holding a ti leaf. Her white dress will disappear into space, in a sense, in a bit of magic inspired by "Alice in Wonderland."

Viewers can climb up a ladder to the 8-foot-wide image and look through the installation via a koa "heart" that is also a window onto the show.

Hadar said the piece represents connection with nature and life in the islands.

"The paradise that we live in, you know?" he asked. "You know how some people take it for granted?"

He’s got a direct and original vision, and he’s not afraid to break with the pack and follow his own preferred style — one that’s very much influenced by classic portraiture, realism and illustration.

The "White Dream" centerpiece portrays a sensual woman, and sensuality, if not overt, in-your-face sexuality and physicality, is a common aspect of Hadar’s imagery. He’s done a series of paintings of women’s lips and tongues, and you’ll see one of those, "White Lips," in the show.

In this show, Hadar roves through a range of themes, proving he isn’t ready to be pinned down.

Along with his centerpiece image, there are other depictions of women or characters of ambiguous sexuality, some covered in robes. At least one has blood on his hands.

He also prepared a ceiling painting, inspired by Michelangelo, working day and night in the days leading up to the "White Dreams" opening last week.

Hadar, who’s studied art in Hono­lulu, Paris, Madrid and Tel Aviv, says he’s always drawn and painted, and thought of himself as a portraitist for some time. But in recent years he’s been experimenting with "stripping away" parts of his imagery to get to essential concepts.

"I’ve tried to leave room for the viewer to fill in some of the meaning," he said. "A lot of work in this show has this dreamlike quality."

His bio notes that at age 28, he’s the youngest board member with the Hawaii Arts Alliance. Hadar says this has given him the opportunity to know more about funding and supporting a nonprofit arts organization.

He’s also one of the lead directors of Pow Wow Hawaii (powwow hawaii.com), a fledgling Kakaako-based organization that has presented two annual festivals of urban art so far. Pow Wow has also become intrinsically connected with plans to redevelop Kakaako while incorporating space for artists, street life, housing, small business and other human-scale activities. Keep an eye on Pow Wow and Kakaako for more arts-related news this year.

Hamar and Pow Wow founder Jasper Wong made a trip to Melbourne, Australia, this year, visiting the studio of 2012 Pow Wow guest artist Phibs.

"Australia was amazing," he said. "We met so many amazing artists and others in the industry — and everyone has heard of and loves Pow Wow. We got to check out how other art events are run and how studios like Everfresh (Phibs’ home base) work, so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel here in Hawaii when we work on our projects."