Ulrika Sparre: I Am Not Useful Therefore I Am

Visitors may recognize Ulrika Sparre’s work from her exhibition at SSE in the fall of 2024, which included eight artworks, among them ON A CLEAR DAY I CAN SEE FOREVER, displayed on the balcony of the main building at Sveavägen 65.

Ulrika Sparre (born 1974) works across a range of media including installation, sculpture, photography, film, performance, and sound. She studied at Konstfack in Stockholm and the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam.

Reflecting on her artistic practice, Sparre writes:

“In my work I investigate the mechanisms, behaviors, and social patterns that constitute our lives. I explore subjects such as individualism and consumerism, and I am interested in how non-religious and scientific beliefs are expressed in contemporary secular society.

When religions and collective narratives no longer provide certainty, we seek meaning elsewhere. Some of humanity’s most persistent questions are existential: Does my life lead to something? Does it disappear into nothing?

Commercialization gains ground in a world where fear of emptiness, loss, and existential uncertainty increasingly become commodities. By encouraging collective reflection within an individualistic culture, we may discover new ways of imagining a sustainable future.”

I Am Not Useful Therefore I Am was generously donated by SSE alumni Louise and John Hedberg. Photo: Mikael Olsson