Eddo Stern

For summer 2016 we’re delighted to present Small Wars and CD-ROMS, two exhibitions in partnership with Abertay University exploring the cultural impact of computer games, programmed and curated in partnership with Dr William Huber, Head of the Centre for Excellence in Game Education. The exhibitions coincide with Abertay’s hosting of the first joint International Conference of DiGRA and FDG 2016, from Mon 1 to Sun 6 August.

Eddo Stern’s work explores the uneasy and otherwise unconscious connections between physical existence and electronic simulation. He works with various media, including computer software & hardware, game design, live performance, digital video and kinetic sculpture. Through his work, Stern advocates independent game development and the inherent potential of game design as a medium for artistic expression and cultural impact.

For Small Wars, Stern presents a monumental installation of his celebrated Vietnam Romance. This work recreates and interrogates the fictionalised history of the Vietnam War and its culturally commodified remains through a mash-up of cultural artefacts drawn primarily from Hollywood film culture as well as war literature, comic books, popular music, collectable war memorabilia, and adventure tourism packages. Stern is spending several weeks in Angus in 2016 to prepare for the exhibition, initially participating in the Hospitalfield Arts residency programme in Arbroath.

Born in 1972 and based in Los Angeles, Stern studied Electronic Media and Art at the University of California at Santa Cruz and an MFA at the California Institute for the Arts. Solo exhibitions of his work include Postmasters Gallery, New York; Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff; FACT, Liverpool and The Kitchen, New York. He has participated in festivals and group exhibitions worldwide.

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