Olek was born Oleksiak in Poland, graduated university and then immigrated to the United States. She has received the Ruth Mellon Award, a 2005 residency at Sculpture Space, a 2009 residency at Instituto Sacatar in Brazil and has been selected for a 2010/11 LMCC Workspace residency in New York City as well as being the winner of an apex art gallery commercial competition.
Her sculpture, installations and performance art have been seen worldwide and continue to amaze and stun with their vivid colors, their unique placements and creativity. She has spent a lot of time on the interconnectedness of the human body as well, crocheting sperm, cancer cells, skeletons and of course bodies. The prostate cancer above is a spectacular example of this sort of work from Olek.
