Sultana Shamshi was born in Bombay, India, of Hindu, Arab and Persian descent and emigrated to Perth in 1982. While she has also lived in Europe and South East Asia, Perth has long been her home. After studying fine art and ceramics at Sir J.J. School of Art in Bombay in the 1970s, she has worked with diverse materials like textiles, wood and found objects. In 2012 she completed the Advanced Diploma in Jewellery Design at CIT, Perth. Since 2012 she has exhibited widely around Australia.

Her practice at present is inspired and informed by trees and flora. Reacting to the desecration of the environment and deforestation, she tries to capture the wonder and awe that she feels for the trees and landscapes that may not survive the ravages of human intervention. The materials she uses are eclectic, everything from the precious to the detritus of everyday life, as they all have their own stories to tell.