Justyna Smoleń was born in 1988 in Nowy Sącz. She graduated from the Faculty of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków and went on to pursue doctoral studies at the Faculty of Arts of the Pedagogical University of Kraków (2014–2018). She works in the fields of painting and sculpture, and also creates objects and installations. She lives in Kraków, where she holds a post at her alma mater, the Academy of Fine Arts. Together with Radek Szlęzak, she runs the independent art space Rooter.
She has presented her work in solo and group exhibitions, notably at the National Museum in Kraków, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Wrocław, the MOCAK Museum in Kraków, Bunkier Sztuki in Kraków, the MODEM Centre for Contemporary Art in Debrecen, the Polish Institute in Düsseldorf, BRAUNSFELDER in Cologne, the Szara Kamienica Gallery in Kraków, Rondo Sztuki in Katowice, at the BWA in Katowice, the Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Ustka, the BWA in Wrocław, the Municipal Gallery in Wrocław, the BWA SOKÓŁ Contemporary Art Gallery in Nowy Sącz, the BWA Galeria Sanocka, as well as the Potencja Gallery and the Piana Gallery Foundation in Kraków.