Shallow Breath

Shallow Breath is a sculpture by British artist Rachel Whiteread, created in 1988. It is an example of her early work, which focused on casting the negative space of interior environments.1

This particular sculpture casts the space beneath a bed, transforming an unseen void into a tangible form. Whiteread's work often explores the concept of negative space, giving physical presence to what is typically empty or overlooked. This approach is comparable to the casts made of those who died at Pompeii, where the form of a person is captured by the space they occupied.1

Shallow Breath is part of a series of works from her first solo exhibition, which also included casts of the interior of a hot-water bottle (Torso), the space below a dressing table (Mantle), and the interior of a wardrobe (Closet). The term "shallow" in the title refers to a lack of significant physical depth, aligning with the sculpture's focus on capturing a limited, unseen space.12