Trephina Sultan / Tjanpi Kampanyi

Trephina Sultan was born in 1967 in Alice Springs and grew up at Kings Canyon, NT (Central Australia), with many uncles, aunties and her grandparents doting on her as a young girl, being the only child in her family.

With her mother and aunty a big influence in her life, Trephina was educated at the English speaking school in Alice Springs. Even though English became Trephina’s first language, she was taught Luritja, the language of her family and Elders at home. Trephina, in her own words, had the best of both worlds.

Trephina’s painting talents started at a very young age. As a young girl she used to sit and watch her uncles, aunties, cousins and friends paint for hours at a time and she recalls that she would pick up a stick and do drawings in the dirt.

Acknowledged as a Luritja language specialist, she did work as an interpreter at the Alice Springs Institute for Aboriginal Development and was a valuable contributor to an Aboriginal-English dictionary they produced. However, Trephina’s main passion is painting – starting with the traditional ‘dot style’ she produced paintings that have been purchased by tourists and collectors worldwide.  Over the last couple of years, Trephina has been turning her hand to more abstract pieces, becoming well known for her From Water, Burning Grass and Desert Honey artworks.

Many of her pieces have been created under the name of Trephina Sultan. Although she still continues to use this name on different works, some of her works will also bear her Aboriginal name of ‘Thanguwa’, the equivalent meaning “scent” in English.

An emerging artist, Trephina is sure to succeed in the art world due to her unbelievable talent, her passion for art and her love for her culture.