Olek was born Agata Oleksiak in Poland and graduated from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland with a degree in cultural studies. In New York, they rediscovered their ability to crochet and since then they have started their crocheted journey/madness. Resume sniffers may be pleased to know Olek's work has been presented in galleries from Brooklyn to Istanbul to Venice and Brazil, featured in "The New York Times", "Fiberarts Magazine", "The Village Voice", and "Washington Post" and drags a tail of dance performance sets and costumes too numerous to mention.
Olek received the Ruth Mellon Award for Sculpture, was selected for 2005 residency program at Sculpture Space, 2009 residency in Instituto Sacatar in Brazil, 2010 AAI Lower East Side Rotating Studio Program, and is a winner of apex art gallery commercial competition. Olek was an artist in an independent collective exhibition, "Waterways," during the 49th Venice Biennale. They were also a featured artist in "Two Continents Beyond," at the 9th International Istanbul Biennale.
Olek themselves however can be found in their Brooklyn studio with a bottle of spiced Polish vodka aggressively re-weaving the world as they sees fit.
