A former computer-game programmer and soldier in the Israeli army, electronic-media artist Eddo Stern draws from both experiences in his work. He starts his Intersections residency at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa on Tuesday, kicking things off with a lecture at the UH Art Building auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

The next day, he gives a walk-through of his show "Dark Machinima" at 3 p.m. at Kapi'olani Community College's Koa Gallery.

Works such as his "Sheik Attack," made up of scenes from video games such as "Nuclear Strike" and "Settlers III," keep growing in meaning and power as the world's wars escalate. Stern created "Sheik Attack," a comment on Israel's growing militarism, in 2000. Since then, the work has been screened at dozens of venues, from Madrid's Museo Reina Sofia to New York's Postmasters Gallery, becoming more timely with each passing year and attack — the World Trade Center, the Madrid train, the London underground and now the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. The four videos in his installation at the Koa Gallery promise to be just as prescient.

"Dark Machinima," The Koa Gallery, Kapi'olani Community College. Wednesday through Oct. 6; artist walk-through 3 p.m. Wednesday; opening reception 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday.

MITSUDA AT PUNAHOU

The latest from O'ahu artist Mary Mitsuda goes on view at Punahou School's Kirsch Gallery this week.

Gallery director Joshua Tollefson, who always is "trying to bring in working artists, so students have living examples of the passion and dedication behind art-making," approached Mitsuda about the exhibition.

"Mary's craft and subject matter are appealing, which makes her paintings good teaching models — especially when seen in person, up close," says Tollefson. He explains that solo shows are a great opportunity to see several works by one artist at the same time, to understand that artist's larger vision."

In a city where group shows are the norm, Mitsuda's one-woman exhibition is a rarity.

In "Conceal/Reveal" Mitsuda's dark, textured paintings obscure and magnify, as one might guess from titles such as "Veiled Views" and "Night Blooming I." Her evocative work has a refreshingly raw and loose feel.

"The basic gist of it visually is when you see the images from a distance, sometimes they're suggestive of photographs or something kind of blurry, slightly in motion, maybe almost like a field or collage in motion," Mitsuda says of her new work. "There's a difference when you go up close. They kind of disappear. Your initial impression sometimes changes. That's the visually interactive part I'm interested in. There is a sense of movement and stillness both, I like the combination of complementary forces."

"Mary Mitsuda: Conceal/Reveal," Kirsch Gallery, Punahou School. Thursday through Sept. 28; public reception 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday. Free.

Reach Lesa Griffith at lgriffith@honoluluadvertiser.com.