Meanders Shelves by Jacques Jarrige

This freestanding bookshelf by Jacques Jarrige is a unique sculptural work that transcends the boundaries between furniture and art. Hand-cut from plywood and intuitively shaped without preliminary sketches, the piece embodies Jarrige’s signature approach: drawing in space with gestural lines and transforming modest materials into fluid, animated forms.

The bookshelf’s silhouette is distinctly biomorphic—its curving profile and irregular contours evoke organic structures found in nature, such as tree branches or the erosion patterns of stone and water. Shelves emerge almost seamlessly from the undulating framework, their placements guided more by rhythm than symmetry. As a result, each shelf feels not merely functional but integral to the sculpture’s overall balance and movement.

Crafted entirely by hand, the surface of the plywood retains the subtle traces of Jarrige’s tools and process. These textural variations give the piece an expressive, tactile quality—reminding us of the artist’s direct engagement with the material. Though constructed from humble plywood, the bookshelf’s presence is monumental and refined, a testament to Jarrige’s commitment to elevating everyday forms into poetic gestures.

At once architectural and playful, this bookshelf stands as a dynamic focal point in any interior. Whether filled with books, objects, or left partially empty, its open structure encourages interaction and reinterpretation. Like much of Jarrige’s work, it activates the space around it and invites the viewer to engage both visually and physically.

Signed and one of a kind, this sculptural bookshelf is not only a functional storage solution but a living line—an object that embodies movement, material sensitivity, and the quiet drama of form unfolding in space.