In this photograph, a Persian rug dissolves into a characteristically Australian desert landscape through the flame of a campfire that burns at its centre. This work is influenced by time Hossein Valamanesh spent in Papunya, Northern Territory, in 1974; he was inspired by the Aboriginal community’s symbiotic relationship with the land and the sense of place conjured in artworks by local artists. Longing belonging represents a meeting point between the Iranian and Australian cultures that influenced the artist’s practice.