Born: Taipei, Taiwan, 1970. Lives and works in Taipei and Shanghai.

It’s conventional wisdom that artists and scientists see the world in different, even incompatible, ways. But if scientists remain wary of art, growing numbers of artists are experimenting with electronics and computer science. Lin Jiunting uses multimedia technology to bring new life to the forms of classical Chinese art. Growing up in Taiwan and studying art in New York City reinforced his fascination with “the constant transformation and boundary-breaking of contemporary Western art” and his inclination to see Chinese traditions with fresh eyes. He first drew critical attention with Psyche Zone (2003), which rehearsed the classic philosopher’s question, “Did Zhuangzi dream of a butterfly, or did the butterfly dream of Zhuangzi?” with virtual butterflies that vanish when viewers reach to touch them. Beyond the Frame (2006-09) presents LED panels that resemble the sections of an ornamental screen. When viewers play with fallen blossoms or the strings of a zither on separate touch-screens, music sounds and the images on the panels grow and change. Like the work’s format, the images are archetypally Chinese, depicting the classic “noble plants”—plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum—which together represent the four seasons. Lin Jiunting’s high-tech take adds rich new layers to a venerable genre, and augments a perceptual experience with a physical one.