He studied film direction at the National Film School in Łódź, which he graduated from in 1986. He made his film debut in 1987 by directing the film Zad wielkiego wieloryba based on the screenplay that he co-wrote with Janusz Wróblewski. His next feature film Pożegnanie jesieni ("Farewell To Autumn", 1990), which was an adaptation of the novel by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, was screened at the 47th Venice International Film Festival where he won an award for best debut. In 1995, he directed the film Łagodna for which he received the Journalists' Award at the 20th Gdynia Film Festival. In 2000, he directed the film Egoiści ("The Egoists").
In 1995, he made his opera debut by directing the opera Wyrywacz serc ("The Heartsnatcher") by Elżbieta Sikora based on the works of Boris Vian at the Warsaw Autumn Festival hosted by the Grand Theatre in Warsaw. In 1999, he directed Puccini's Madama Butterfly with the stage design by Boris Kudlička with whom he started his artistic cooperation. Since then, he has been regarded as one of the most original as well as controversial opera directors in Poland. In 2001, his production of Madama Butterfly was staged at the Washington Opera at the special request by Placido Domingo.
Treliński was awarded the 2006 Witkacy Prize - Critics' Circle Award. Since May 2005 to August 2006 he served as the artistic director of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw. In 2006, he directed there another opera by Puccini La bohème. In 2007, he directed Karol Szymanowski's King Roger at the Wrocław Opera. In March 2011, he was again appointed as the director of the Warsaw's Grand Theatre.
In 2013, he became the recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for his achievements as an opera director. In 2016, his production of Tristan und Isolde by Wagner opened the Metropolitan Opera season in New York. In 2018, he won the International Opera Award.
