She was born on June 20, 1930 in Falenty as Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz, a daughter of Konstanty Abakanowicz and Helena Domaszewska, a Polish noblewoman from the Tatar family. In her youth, athlete, player of the Baltic Sea Gdynia (1946), the Gdańsk Coast - HKS Tczew (1947-1948) and Gedania Gdańsk. Three times medalist of the country championship in relay races - gold in 1947 in the 100-100-200-20000 meter relay; silver medals in 1947 in relay 200-100-80-60 meters and in 1948 in relay 4x400 meters. Two-time bronze medalist of the Polish winter championship (1948): 50 meters hurdles and 4 × 50 meters relay.

She specialized in creating large, spatial spatial compositions based on fabric, using also other materials such as stone, wood and bronze - called abakanas from her name. In 1954 she graduated from the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, and later also from the PWSSP in Sopot. From 1979 she was a professor at the State Higher School of Visual Arts in Poznań, where she taught classes in 1965-1990. From 2006, she was a member of the Program Council of the Center for National Creation Foundation.

Sculptor lived and created in Warsaw. She died on April 20, 2017 there. She was buried on 27 April 2017 at the Powązki Military Cemetery.