Alicja Habisiak-Matczak was born in Piotrków Trybunalski in 1978. In the years 1997-2002 she studied at the Faculty of Graphics and Painting at the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz. In 2002 she graduated with distinction from the Intaglio Techniques Studio run by Professor Krzysztof Wawrzyniak.
In 2003 she received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Italian Government and she held a six-month practice at the Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino and at the International Graphic Arts Centre KAUS in Urbino. In 2002-2011 she was an assistant professor in the Basics of Composition Studio run by Danuta Wieczorek, D.A. (habil.) at the Faculty of Graphics and Painting, the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz. From 2011 to 2016 she was an adjunct professor in the Intaglio Techniques Studio run by Professor Krzysztof Wawrzyniak. Since November 2016 she has been the head of this studio.
In 2004-2006 she enhanced her didactic and craftsmanship skills as an assistant at the International Summer Graphic Arts Courses KAUS in Urbino. Since 2013, together with Giuliano Santini, she has been a coordinator of the International Summer Courses of Printmaking and Textile Art PATA held at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, whose five editions have enjoyed great popularity among artists from all over the world.
In 2009 she defended her doctoral thesis: Perspectives ‒ a cycle of graphics and drawings on urban space and by the resolution of the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Graphics and Painting of alma mater she obtained a degree of Doctor of Arts. In September 2015, by the resolution of the Faculty Board, she obtained the degree of habilitated doctor. In 2013 she conducted research under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education scholarship titled Research into deep etching of zinc and copper plates by the method of salt aquatint. In 2016 she realized research on the application of iron plates in intaglio techniques.
She has been an author of 18 individual exhibitions in Lodz, Warsaw, Urbino, Rome, Fano and Wageningen. She has participated in more than 140 national and international exhibitions of graphic arts and drawing in such cities as: Acqui-Terme, Bangkok, Cluj, Douro, Cairo, Katowice, Kochi, Kyoto, Lodz, New York, Olsztyn, Rome, Sarcelles, Tokyo, Trois-Rivieres or Varna. She received 14 awards and honourable mentions in contests in Poland, Romania, Spain, Italy and Canada.
She took part in international conferences on graphic arts, including: ‘Rape of Europe’ in Lisbon (2013) and ‘Rhinos Are Coming’ in Porto Allegre (2014), ‘Pure Print’ in Porto (2015), ‘Carmo, Chiado and The Respublica Litteraria’ in Paris and Lisbon (2017)
In 2007 she was a winner of the Scholarship Programme of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage ‘Young Poland’ for outstanding Polish artists of the young generation. In 2013 she got a fellowship of Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw.
Since 2010 she has been a member of the International Association of Graphic Artists ‒ AMIGRAV based in Montreal. She is also a member of the International Print Triennial Society in Krakow. She is the supervisor of the students’ Scientific Research Circle ‘Eksperymentarium’ of the Intaglio Techniques Studio and the Lithography Techniques Studio (together with Tomasz Matczak, D.A.). She also runs the Students’ Graphics Gallery ‘Pomiędzy’ at the Faculty of Graphics and Painting. She has been an organizer of international graphic symposia in Urbino and a curator of over sixty artistic graphic exhibitions.
