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"Spider #3" Large sculpture, 2025

Creator: Jacques Jarrige
Offered by: Valerie Goodman Gallery

Description
Jacques Jarrige
"Spider #3" Large sculpture, 2025
Hand Hammered Aluminum
21 x 38 x 37 in

The larger of three iterations of Spider sculptures extends Jacques Jarrige’s exploration of the motif into a more complex, grounded, and architectonic presence. Crafted entirely from hammered aluminum, this sculpture sits directly on the floor, its body and legs unfolding outward in an intricate constellation of lines that evoke the spider archetype while remaining unmistakably Jarrige.
Composed from multiple lengths of aluminum, each vigorously hammered by hand, the piece reveals a richly textured surface—densely faceted, shimmering, and alive to changing light. The intensified hammering amplifies the sculpture’s tactility, giving it a slightly rough, living skin that contrasts with the ethereal brightness of the metal. As light travels across its surface, highlights fracture and scatter, animating the sculpture with a quiet, shifting radiance.
The body sits low to the ground, formed from tightly worked ribbons of metal whose twists and folds suggest both vulnerability and strength. From this compact center, several elongated legs extend outward in sweeping arcs, stabilizing the form in a wide, grounded stance. Though more elaborate than the smaller Spider #1, the sculpture retains Jarrige’s essential language of intuitive line—unplanned, fluid, and shaped by a direct physical dialogue with the material.
While it nods to Louise Bourgeois’s iconic spiders, Jarrige’s interpretation remains distinctly his own: lighter, more abstract, and infused with the luminous qualities of aluminum. Rather than imposing its presence, it inhabits space with a poised, tensile energy—part creature, part drawing in air. The result is a sculpture that feels simultaneously animate and architectural, delicate and commanding, a grounded apparition woven from light, gesture, and hammered metal.