Through his fine-art photographic practice, Finn O’Hara explores the interconnectivity of urban and rural settings with the natural world. Southern Lights represents an ongoing project that engages photography and electronic imaging tools in dialogue with the Georgian Bay region of the Canadian North. Created on the occasion of his 2026 solo-exhibition at Smokestack Gallery, Astral Presage demonstrates the expansion of O’Hara’s imagery investigations. Through the making of this work, layering of a silkscreen printed element onto the surface of a printed photograph introduces a new approach to engage with the landscape.

“Collaborating with Laine and Jonathan on Astral Presage gave me the opportunity to finally realize an image I had been chasing for years. The laser light in Southern Lights is constrained by its breadth and scope, but merging star photography with wireframe illustration of the landscape has unlocked a creative direction I’m genuinely excited to explore further.”

-Finn O’Hara