Tang Contemporary Art proudly presents Berbrain's first solo exhibition in Bangkok, Failure as Fuel: On Berbrain's Embrace of the Uncertain. Working primarily with oil, pigment sticks, solid markers, and spray on canvas, Berbrain constructs fragmented, open-ended narratives that privilege process over resolution. His works function not as definitive statements, but as moments suspended within an ongoing, evolving story. By capturing scenes that resemble the aftermath or midpoint of a battlefield, Berbrain leaves viewers questioning: what happened? What's next? Has something failed, or succeeded? The artist refuses to offer clear outcomes, instead inviting the audience to participate in redefining what success or failure might mean.
In a culture that celebrates clarity and completion, failure remains one of the most radical ideas for an artist to explore. We're conditioned to view failure as a fall, a flaw, a deviation from the ideal. But what if failure is not the opposite of success, but its necessary companion? What if that detour is where the real work begins? Berbrain does not treat failure as defeat but frames it as possibility. His practice begins with questions: What does it mean to face fear head-on? What happens when we lean into uncertainty, rather than escape it? His paintings carry the quiet, charged energy of risk—not the dramatic kind that demands attention, but the everyday courage to continue without knowing the outcome.
This exhibition collapses the binary between failure and success. Berbrain's visual language, rich with dreamlike symbols, dynamic gestures, and bodies mid-metamorphosis, suggests that to be alive is to be in flux. Nothing is settled. Every failure carries the seed of a new direction, a new question, a new possibility. Far from a collapse, failure becomes a space of rehearsal, invention, and play. In Berbrain's universe, falling short is a strategy, not a setback. It is in the friction of effort—the slips, the doubts, the internal monsters—that something real takes shape. Fear runs parallel throughout these works, not cast aside or conquered, but absorbed into the process. Fear becomes material: a starting point rather than a stop sign. Whether exploring internal struggles or fantastical worlds where danger and joy intertwine, Berbrain treats fear as a source of momentum rather than paralysis.
This is not an exhibition about overcoming failure. It's about staying with it long enough to understand what it reveals. It's about embracing the uncertain not in spite of its difficulty, but because of it. Berbrain's work speaks to a shared condition in contemporary life: the demand to appear confident, composed, and perpetually successful. His art cuts through that illusion, creating space for the unspoken—fear of falling, the weight of trying again, and the strength it takes to risk vulnerability in public. The paintings offer not just reflection, but invitation. They suggest that failure might not be something to avoid but something to move toward. That within conscious, wholehearted failure lies a form of freedom that conventional success cannot provide. Berbrain's art offers space: to feel, to question, to fall and get up again. In this, the work does not merely represent failure—it reclaims it.
Text by Sue Oh
EXHIBITING WORKS
![]() Sanctuary of Dreams Mixed media on canvas 200 x 200 cm 2025 | ![]() Break the Chain (Anything is Possible) Mixed media on canvas 100 x 100 cm 2024 | ![]() Dancing on the Battlefield Mixed media on canvas 100 x 120 cm 2024 |
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![]() Repeated Battles (Fight Against Fear) Mixed media on canvas 140 x 100 cm 2024 | ![]() Run Faster & Dream Bigger Mixed media on canvas 150 x 180 cm 2024 | ![]() Take the Risk or Lose the Chance Mixed media on canvas 100 x 100 cm 2024 |
![]() Raised By Wolves Mixed media on canvas 140 x 140 cm 2025 | ![]() Together, We Stronger Than Fear Mixed media on canvas 140 x 100 cm 2025 | ![]() Never Off Guard Mixed media on canvas 100 x 150 cm (Die Cut) 2025 |
![]() Never Off Guard Mixed media on canvas 120 x 120 cm (Die Cut) 2024 | ![]() Stay Sharp Mixed media on canvas 100 x 100 cm (Die Cut) 2025 | ![]() Bound By Courage Mixed media on canvas 100 x 100 cm (Die Cut) 2024 |
Artists
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BERBRAIN (BERNANDI DESANDA)
b.1996, Tangerang, Indonesia
Bernandi Desanda or Berbrain was graduated from Indonesian Institute of The Arts, Yogyakarta, Faculty of Design, Department of Visual Communication Design in 2021.
Since 2015, Bernandi has chosen to focus on visual arts, particularly painting. After graduating, Bernandi decided to pursue a career as a full time artist and currently lived in Yogyakarta.
He is also recognized as Berbrain. He is an artist whose creative journey is rooted in imagination, The name "Berbrain" encapsulates the notion of "Bernandi's thoughts," elegantly combining 'Ber' and 'Brain’. An undeniable passion for animals, monsters, and all things uncanny courses through Berbrain's creative veins.
This fervor consistently finds its expression in the art he produces today, a majority of which draws inspiration from these captivating realms. Notably, the enchanting universe of cartoon characters also contributes to the tapestry of his creations. It's within this artistic landscape that Bernandi skillfully weaves together the essence of monsters, animals, and animated personas, breathing life into a symphony of new and captivating species.