Nick Polansky

Nick Polansky’s reclaimed-hardwood sculptures carry a skyline presence—upright forms cut into linear or gridded systems informed by the city’s language of facades, frames, and street geometry. Based in San Francisco, he works with the built world in mind: how structures hold and adapt. Each piece begins as a single block, then opens through repeated cuts until it flexes into springs, splays, and splits. Air and light pass through, and the form responds at a threshold where concept meets the wood’s limits.⁠ ⁠ Final week! ⁠On view in "Alternating Currents" at Municipal Bonds through February 28.⁠ ⁠ 1275 Minnesota St, San Francisco⁠ Tuesday–Saturday, 12–5pm⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ @nwpolansky ⁠ Waffle no. 04, 2025⁠ Mahogany⁠ 67 x 16 x 12 inches⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ #municipalbonds #nickpolansky⁠ #sculpture #mahogany #waffle⁠ #contemporaryart #woodwork⁠

Thank you, Roborant Review and S Anne Steinberg, for your insightful review of our current exhibition, Alternating Currents: Austin Thomas and Nick Polansky. ⁠ ⁠ "The vibe between these two bodies of work has multiple sources. A good part of it derives from how seriously Thomas and Polansky treat their found or reclaimed materials. For both artists, two things interest them equally: the beauty they have come upon, and their own interaction with that beauty. Both Thomas and Polansky make use of mechanical tools, be it the press or the saw, and both compose their works from simple, fundamental shapes. Both Thomas and Polansky speak quietly; their audience leans in to listen."⁠—@sannesteinberg @roborantreview ⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Read the full review via the link in bio⁠ ⁠ Alternating Currents:⁠ @austinthomasartist ⁠ @nwpolansky ⁠ ⁠ On view through February 28⁠ Tuesday–Saturday, 12–5pm⁠ ⁠ @municipalbonds ⁠ 1275 Minnesota St, San Francisco⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ #municipalbonds #roborantreview⁠ #austinthomas #nickpolansky

Nick Polansky’s single pieces of hardwood are cut with geometric patterns that erode the surface—opening passages for light and air and releasing the wood to flex, warp, and deform into springs, splays, grids, and splits. Each work is made using methodical and repeated cuts with the table saw or bandsaw, a practice of patience and precision held at the brink of failure. The work grows from an ongoing investigation that began in MIT’s fabrication shops, where testing and calibrating tools became a way to locate the limits of performance. Polansky’s dialogue with the wood reflects his pursuit of the material’s intelligence and application. ⁠ ⁠ On view in "Alternating Currents" at Municipal Bonds through February 28.⁠ ⁠ 1275 Minnesota St, San Francisco⁠ Tuesday–Saturday, 12–5pm⁠ ⁠ @nwpolansky ⁠ Grid no. 13, 2025⁠ Mahogany⁠ 47 1/2 x 16 x 8 inches⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ #municipalbonds #nickpolansky ⁠ #contemporaryart #sculpture #mahogany⁠ #wood #geometry #materialintelligence

Nick Polansky’s practice translates the material properties of wood into a profound lexicon of design, directly informed by his architectural training and practice. His work is a demanding exercise in manual craft, where the material removed—the kerf line—is treated as the physical equivalent of a draftsman's line weight.⁠ ⁠ The work relies entirely on bandsaw and table saw precision, using repeated, meticulous cuts to define geometric form. Polansky plays with the thickness of the line with the blade itself. Crucially, the organic nature of the wood—its grain, knots, and unpredictable resistance—coupled with the slight, inevitable deviation of the human hand, ensures no two pieces are alike. ⁠ ⁠ This element of controlled "error" or manual variance introduces a subtle, living quality, transforming the geometric solidity into something visually fragile. This material investigation, where absolute precision is intentionally softened by the unique character of the material and the maker, is the essential arm of his practice, scaling principles of rigorous design integrity from the intimate sculpture to the expansive vision of his architectural work.⁠ ⁠ —@nwpolansky , Artist Statement⁠ ⁠ On view in "Alternating Currents" at Municipal Bonds through February 28.⁠ ⁠ ⁠Nick Polansky⁠ Split no. 21, 2025⁠ White Oak and copper pipe⁠ 51 1/2 x 24 x 12 inches⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ #municipalbonds #nickpolansky⁠ #artiststatement #wood #design⁠ #whiteoak #copperpipe #contemporaryart⁠

Join us for SF Art Week, January 20–25—Municipal Bonds presents "Alternating Currents," a duo exhibition featuring Austin Thomas and Nick Polansky. Through divergent media, both artists work within systems that mirror the environments they inhabit. @austinthomasartist reorders fragments of the urban landscape into new compositional structures, while @nwpolansky shapes salvaged wood into forms that mediate between order and release. Each develops continuity through adaptation, where practice becomes a form of reasoning—empirical and physical, grounded in ethos. "Alternating Currents" situates their work within the evolving logic of the city, where process and environment remain in constant conversation.⁠ ⁠ The gallery will be open for extended hours during @sf_artweek in conjunction with @atriumfair at @minnesotastreetproject . ⁠Plan your visit:⁠ ⁠ Tuesday, January 20, 12–5pm⁠ Wednesday, January 21, 12–5pm⁠ Thursday, January 22, 12–9pm⁠ Friday, January 23, 11–6pm⁠ Saturday, January 24, 11–6pm⁠ Sunday, January 25, 11–5pm⁠ ⁠ 1275 Minnesota St⁠ San Francisco, CA⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ Installation photography thanks to @shaun.roberts.photo ⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ #municipalbonds #minnesotastreetproject⁠ #austinthomas #nickpolansky ⁠ #sfartweek #atriumfair #sanfranciscoart

Rooted in the Bay Area’s lineage of architectural experimentation and ecological sensibility, San Francisco–based artist Nick Polansky works with reclaimed hardwood, engaging the physical properties of wood through the lens of his architectural training and practice. Using the bandsaw and table saw, he makes repeated, meticulous cuts that define geometric form, treating the kerf—the width of the cut made by the blade—as the physical equivalent of a draftsman’s line weight. ⁠ ⁠ Each sculpture develops through precision and repetition, balanced by the organic variability of the wood—its grain, knots, and unpredictable resistance. The inevitable deviation of the human hand introduces a subtle variance, softening the work’s geometric rigor into something quietly alive. This inquiry, in which precision is tempered by the distinct character of both medium and maker, defines Polansky’s practice.⁠ ⁠ On view through February 28, @nwpolansky 's sculptures are paired with New York-based @austinthomasartist 's works on paper in the duo exhibition, "Alternating Currents," at Municipal Bonds.⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ Nick Polansky Waffle no. 03 (pair), 2020⁠ Mahogany⁠ 23 3/4 x 6 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ #municipalbonds #minnesotastreetproject⁠ #sanfrancisco #nickpolansky #sculpture⁠ #architecture #art #waffle #pair #mahogany ⁠

Opening Saturday, January 10, 5–7pm: "Alternating Currents," a duo exhibition bringing together the works of New York-based artist Austin Thomas and San Francisco-based artist Nick Polansky in a dialogue shaped by structure, reuse, and architectural thinking. Please join us at Municipal Bonds for the opening reception, in conjunction with First Saturday @minnesotastreetproject .⁠ ⁠ Alternating Currents:⁠ @austinthomasartist ⁠ @nwpolansky ⁠ January 10–February 28, 2026⁠ ⁠ @municipalbonds ⁠ 1275 Minnesota St, San Francisco⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ Nick Polansky⁠ Turbine no. 04, 2025⁠ Cedar⁠ 48 x 12 x 8 inches⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ #municipalbonds #minnesotastreetproject⁠ #sanfrancisco #nickpolansky #austinthomas ⁠ #contemporaryart #cedar #turbine #sculpture

Save the date! Saturday, January 10, from 5–7pm⁠—please join Municipal Bonds for the opening of "Alternating Currents," a duo exhibition exploring the dialogue between the works of New York-based artist Austin Thomas and San Francisco-based artist Nick Polansky. The exhibition examines how urban systems—structural, material, and perceptual—inform Thomas’ and Polansky’s distinct approaches to form and process. Both artists draw from the city’s capacity for adaptation and transformation. Featuring Thomas’ monotypes on found paper and Polansky’s sculptures in reclaimed wood, "Alternating Currents" considers how reuse and rhythm serve as shared methods for articulating the intelligence of the built, human world. ⁠ ⁠ Alternating Currents:⁠ @austinthomasartist ⁠ @nwpolansky ⁠ January 10–February 28, 2026⁠ ⁠ Opening and Artist Reception: ⁠ Saturday, Jan 10, 5–7pm ⁠ ⁠ @municipalbonds ⁠ 1275 Minnesota St, San Francisco⁠ To receive a preview, contact [email protected]⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ Nick Polansky⁠ Splay no. 18, 2025⁠ Walnut and stones⁠ 60 x 8 3/4 x 1 3/4 inches⁠ ⁠ —⁠ ⁠ #municipalbonds #minnesotastreetproject⁠ #austinthomas #worksonpaper #monotype ⁠ #nickpolansky #sculpture #walnut #stones

Hydra 03 2024 (17 parts) Dug Fir 12x5.5x48 On view: Outside 485 14th Street DM for appointment

ARTIST TALK: Sa 01 Nov 2p - 4p: Come hear Nick Polansky and Hannah Franco discuss the inspirations and techniques behind their works of geometric abstraction currently on view in the exhibition "Constructive Conversations." #artisttalksf #sfartist #oaklandartist #neoconstructivism #geometricabstractart #geometricabstratction #sculpture #woodsculpture #abstractsculpture #abstractpainting #abstractart #contemporaryart #sfgallery #sfgalleries #sfartdealers #sfartexhibition #artforsale #artcollector #artcollectors #artconsultant #artconsultancy #artadvisor #artadvisory

Hydra 08 2025 (3 parts) Redwood 11x3.5x84 On view with Hydra series Opening Thursday 10/9 5:30-9 39 Grant Ave @ Market “Constructive Conversations” 10.9-11.4 @wessling.art With @hannahfrancofineart & Dani Jeffries

When we first met with architect Nick Polansky, we spoke less about buildings and more about place. He understood that Fjord needed to feel rooted, even while it floats. His design helped us capture the essence of Northern California—rugged, simple, alive. Come check us out if you haven’t already 🤙🏼