Sambolec was born on 7 July 1949 in Ljubljana. From 1968 to 1969 she resided in the USA (Youth for Understanding Programme), studied law and later graduated in sculpture from the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Arts (1971-1975, Professors Drago Tršar and Zdenko Kalin) and completed post-graduate studies in sculpture at the same academy (1975-1978, Prof. Drago Tršar). She furthered her studies in London (Moša Pijade grant in 1978), Paris (Culture Association grant in 1980) and Mönchengladbach (DAAD grant in 1984). In 1986 she was invited to the Sao Paulo Biennial and in 1988 to the Aperto exhibition within the framework of the Venice Biennial. In 1990 she received a grant (sculpture) from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in the USA. She has participated at art symposiums, where she worked in various materials. While still a freelance artist, she gave occasional lectures. Since the early 1990's she has been a guest lecturer at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Arts in Norway. She is a member of the Equrna Gallery. In 1980 she received the Prešeren Fund Award and in 1984 was presented Politika's Vladislav Ribnikar Award in Belgrade. Her work includes sculpture (beginning with hyperrealism, followed by minimalist abstraction, leading to New Image sculpture in the early 1980's, when she started using material combinations of "non-classical" materials, such as amphoral, artificial and natural substances), installations, drawing and teaching.