Shirley Tse & Dana Berman Duff: The Universe Breathes Us

Contemporary Choral Collective Los Angeles (C3LA) will perform The Universe Breathes Us live at 5 PM during the opening reception.

On August 4th at 7pm, join us for an evening of conversation between acclaimed writer Chris Kraus and Relational.

Shoshana Wayne Gallery is pleased to present The Universe Breathes Us, a collaborative exhibition by Shirley Tse and Dana Berman Duff working under the name “Relational”. The exhibition opens Saturday, July 25, with a reception from 4–6 PM and is on view through September 3, 2026.

Ocean tides begin with a relationship. The gravitational pull between the Sun, Moon, and Earth creates a continuous movement of water across the planet, a force generated through proximity and exchange. For The Universe Breathes Us, Dana Berman Duff and Shirley Tse examine tidal energy as a framework for considering the forces that emerge between bodies and celestial forms.

The exhibition takes its title from a simple physiological reality. During inhalation, air enters the lungs through differences in pressure between the body and the atmosphere that surrounds it. Breathing unfolds through an ongoing negotiation between interior and exterior forces, between the body and the world that sustains it. The term "tidal volume," used to describe the amount of air exchanged during a normal breath, echoes the rhythms of the ocean, linking respiration to planetary movement.

Throughout the exhibition, the moon appears as a recurring motif, reflecting the relationship between its colossal mass and the earth's tides, as well as cycles of light and dark, day and night, and ocean waves rising and falling. Across collapsible sculptures, sound, film projection, video, photography, and installation, Relational illuminates the invisible yet indispensable forces that move between us. Created primarily from repurposed materials and existing resources, The Universe Breathes Us continues Tse's commitment to a zero-impact practice. 

Central to the exhibition is a collaborative composition by Alan Duff Berman and Dana Berman Duff. Developed alongside the visual works, the song considers breathing as an act shaped by forces beyond the body itself. A recording of live performance in Reykjavik by local singers will continue throughout the exhibition as part of the installation, allowing the time-based nature of the performance to remain accessible throughout the run of the exhibition.

Throughout the exhibition, breath becomes a reminder that every inhale begins with a force arriving from elsewhere.