For 33 Contemporary’s online exclusive, Our Inner World, the gallery will feature at least eight pieces by figurative realist Sara Gallagher. She is known for exploring mental health themes or what she calls “the internal world of emotional intimacy”—pulled directly from her models’ life experiences and her own. Gallagher’s hope, through her work, is to break taboos surrounding mental health and to provide solidarity for people who could use support. 
Heavy, graphite on paper, 24 x 16"
Gallagher refers to her models more as “participants,” since they are a vital part of the entire process. “Shaped in collaboration, I engage with the subject of each work, allowing a vulnerable, authentic discussion exploring the inner landscape of the human experience,” she explains. “There’s a lot of active listening on my part, along with some guidance, and from that conversation, I take some time and sit with it, and then come up with a visual representation to convey these complex emotions.”
One such example is seen in High Bar, showing a highly detailed female figure facing the viewer, with a shadowed “bar” around the neck. “[As the title suggests], this is about having a really ‘high bar’ for oneself,” says Gallagher, “and being extraordinarily goal driven with high expectations. The lower half of the drawing is in black and white, and the top half has slight color. This addresses the notion of only feeling real, worthy or full if you have actually risen above this bar. Anything less than this isn’t good enough. The shadow of the bar and not physically seeing the bar is a concept; it’s not actually there, but it is there at the same time.”
High Bar, graphite and PanPastel on paper, 21 x 21"
This piece also addresses a new technique for Gallagher, in which she combines both graphite and pastels, using color to further convey her ideas. “The show includes some older works in only graphite, while the newer pieces are mixed media of graphite and PanPastel,” Gallagher notes.
In pieces like Heavy, a slightly older work in all graphite, Gallagher tackles some of her own demons. “I’m the subject in this one,” she says of the drawing that features a female figure falling under the weight of a rock. “I was suffering with terrible insomnia during the pandemic lockdowns, and I would wake up and my body would be physically heavy, tired and desperately wanted to sleep, but with so much anxiety in my mind, I felt jolted awake. Some of the experience was like having a ‘falling dream,’ where you have the sensation of falling and wake up with a gasp of breath.” Gallagher began using her time in the middle of the night to work on Heavy, applying her emotions to her work, which, in turn, helped her break her cycle of insomnia. 
The Homes We Make, graphite and PanPastel on paper, 28 x 21"
Gallagher shares that the inspiration behind subject matter comes from her experience in therapy. “I had many breakthroughs that felt incredibly big to me,” she says, “after working with someone and being transparent—dispelling these big emotions and finding a degree of solidarity. “Going into therapy, I thought I was going to learn all these tools to conquer my anxiety, but instead, I was beginning to understand myself better…That was the healing that needed to happen. It wasn’t combative but was graceful and empathetic.”
Outside, graphite on paper, 22 x 24"
Gallagher carries this experience through her body of work, her process with her participants and into the new series—displayed for the entire month of October on the 33 Contemporary Gallery website. —
33 Contemporary Gallery
Zhou B Art Center, 4th Floor, 1029 W. 25th Street
Chicago, IL 60609 • (708) 837-4534
www.33contemporary.com
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