Art exhibits are places of discovery. A playground for the eyes and mind. And so it is with “Fiber Hawaii 2018,” a biennial show at Honolulu Museum of Art School. Pieces inspire and revolt. They make political statements or are simply striking because of their bold colors or their ability to aesthetically transport one to an alternate realm.

The pieces aren’t just cloth. They’re made with, variously, metal, ceramic, wax, rope, animal intestines and even human hair that’s been knotted, twisted, stitched, painted, carved or otherwise fashioned into something reminiscent of fiber. Each piece makes a statement that transcends its face value.

A small dress isn’t just a baby’s baptism dress. A layer of encaustic has been applied to make it stand stiff like something embalmed. By remaining upright, the fact that no child is sitting inside the robe has been made conspicuous.

Embedded in its wax coating are mug shots of children who look miserable and distinctly Hispanic. The award-winning work by Linda Kane is titled “Where are the children?” — and viewers will reference the recent news that Latino children are being separated from their parents at our border.

Several pieces by Amber O’Harrow, distinct because of their translucent quality, hail from a surprising element — pig guts. By contrast, a more conventional but just as outstanding submission is a gossamer weave by Elizabeth Train in pink and blue that’s airy as a dream.

An elaborately hand-painted, -beaded and -embroidered jacket employing a fish design, by Patricia Greene, thematically addresses the plight to keep Earth’s waters clean. By inscribing an 1852 letter from Chief Seattle to President Pierce upon the dowel from which it hangs, Greene makes the statement that this is not a new issue. Also tackling our problematic relationship with water is Mary Babcock’s mural-sized representation of island and ocean topography formed by weaving together salvaged fishing nets and nautical maps.

Each piece of work was spooled from the abstract threads of an artists’ consciousness, which at some point wove themselves into an ah-ha moment. That intimate wellspring of internal creativity is made tangible to a viewer through an often complex and time-consuming process.

The 50 or so artists whose 70 pieces comprise the show take turns manning the front desk. On my visit, the artist was Victoria Gail-White, who has two kimonos on display.

One of Gail-White’s kimonos was produced using an art form called suminagashi, producing marbled silk, which was then lined with silk-screened dragons. The process of marbling and hand-sewing took months to complete.

The second kimono is a transparent aqua, covered in golden designs inspired by Islamic tiles. The artist described her method of silk screening and then sewing the panels together in such a way that the designs would match up perfectly, a feat that took a concerted four hours a day for a month to complete.

Where Gail-White married two unrelated themes — Japanese style with Islamic design — other artists play with temporal motifs where the traditional and contemporary meet. A kapa cloth by Georgia Sartoris has been treated with watercolors to resemble the night sky. A quilt by Jean Stromberg includes a stenciled hala plant framed by panels of lau hala. It’s the ancient made modern.

In every direction, angled walls and tables are hung or set with artwork that complements the work next to it in style or in hue. At the center of the room, the soul of the exhibit consists of three life-sized hula spirits. They match some of the works thematically, yet in form, they stand apart. Molded by Jackie Mild Lau from aluminum mesh and steel wire, they look simultaneously free as phantoms and yet encaged.

Taken in total, the roomful of textures, mediums and pigments becomes an entity all its own, open to every range of interpretation. The works, sourced from artists across the state, were decided upon by juror Tom Klobe, founding director of University of Hawaii-Manoa Art Gallery. This one is not to be missed, as it’s said that this is the final year the Art School space will host community exhibits.