Time Warp

John Chervinsky likes to explore the principles of “time, light, space, and gravity” in his artistic work, which makes sense given that he ran a Harvard University particle accelerator for 18 years. “I’m looking at time in a certain way, looking at the age of the universe, and making connections,” says Chervinsky, currently a laboratory engineer at Harvard’s Rowland Institute. For this mind-bending piece, he created a still life featuring fresh fruit, then sent a detail photo to a Chinese art factory to be reproduced in oils. When he received the painting three weeks later, he photographed it alongside the decaying scene, resulting in a work that challenges the viewer’s ideas about time, authenticity, and artistic ownership.

Limited-edition photographs, starting at $1,200; Ellen Miller Gallery, 38 Newbury St., Boston, 617-536-4650, ellenmillergallery.com.