'Please God Save My Swag'
Solo Exhibition By *SODA-POP (@soda_pop.xqz)
Curation & Text By *Elena Liosi
Soda-Pop’s practice begins with the surface; a dynamic field where marks accumulate, identities are inscribed, and different layers of information compete for attention. At the center of his work lies the concept of Visual Noise: the internal conflicts, desires, and contradictions that shape contemporary human experience. For the artist, noise is not simply excessive or disruptive; it is a condition we inhabit and, perhaps, inherently need. Rather than attempting to eliminate it, his practice gives it material form. Graffiti and tattooing serve as fundamental influences on Soda-Pop’s visual language. Both practices treat the surface as a site of direct intervention, where gesture, repetition, and the physical mark forge an autonomous medium. The directness and sense of resistance inherent to these practices remain central to his work. Rather than abandoning this raw energy, he translates its rebellious attitude into new material and conceptual frameworks. The materiality of the surface assumes a central role in Please God Save My Swag. Curtains, tiles, and other constructed elements become more than mere materials; they carry associations with everyday spaces, privacy, order, and familiarity. Stripped of their original utility, these elements acquire new life as artworks while retaining their recognizable identities. A curtain, for instance, introduces the physical traces of a familiar setting into the space, while the artist's use of experimental techniques, such as airbrushing and engraving tools- accentuates the direct, exploratory nature of his creative process. The title Please God Save My Swag derives from the phrase “God gave me swag, and God might try to take it back.” What initially appears as a humorous statement conceals a deeper anxiety: the urge to preserve something essential to oneself during periods of uncertainty and transition. Here, “swag” transcends superficial style; it becomes a lens through which to examine self-definition and the preservation of one's core identity. This approach directly informs how the viewer encounters the work. The eye shifts continuously between delicate details and broader forms - some elements offer immediate familiarity, while others resist swift interpretation. The viewer is invited to linger, allowing meaning to gradually emerge through sustained observation. In this sense, Visual Noise is not an absence of structure, but an alternative way of organizing experience -one that allows contradiction, excess, and uncertainty to remain visible. Soda-Pop does not attempt to resolve these tensions, instead he allows them to coexist within the artwork.
