The artist Alex Doll, who has had his studio in Bern’s Old Town since 2019, created an exclusive painting for this year’s St. Gallen Symposium. With his flower work, he sets a sign for the generational dialogue and wants to express peace, hope and appreciation for nature. “If we want to continue to enjoy such beautiful flowers in the future, we have to appreciate nature more again,” says Alex Doll. Through the chosen composition, the two contrasting colours blue and yellow enter into a hopeful dialogue. “Such a dialogue is also needed for the new intergenerational contract,” says the artist. All levels of society have a responsibility to create sustainable solutions for a peaceful world.

His art unveiling took place on 5 May 2023 at the St Gallen Symposium. At the art performance, an aria by a Bernese composer was premiered by opera singer Maria Gridneva. During the singing part, the artist cut his exclusive painting into 90 pieces. He created 90 personally edited original prints by inserting the cut-up parts individually into pre-produced art prints. Prior to this, the work will be published as NFT art.

Alex Doll is a Swiss artist who works in the fields of painting, sculpture, installation, happening and performance. He lives and works in Bern.

Alex Doll was born in Orenburg, Russia. Until he was fifteen, he lived in an Orthodox monastery in Orenburg and was trained there by monks in icon painting. Then he studied at the art school in Orenburg, specialising in drawing and oil painting. This was followed by an internship in design and painting with Prof. Alexey Alexandrov in Moscow (Russian Academy of Arts). In Switzerland, Alex Doll continued his education at the School of Design in Bern and Biel.

Alex Doll is an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts and a member of the International Association of Art (IAA) of UNESCO. Since 2019, Doll has had his own studio and gallery in Bern’s old town. He works with various state and private institutions in the cultural field. Among other things, he was selected as an artist for the World Expo 2015 in Milan and was the winner of the competition to design the Liechtenstein postage stamp for the XXII Olympic Winter Games.

Alex Doll on “Impression 3rd phase blue”.

The five petals symbolise two human legs, two arms and the head. The dot in the middle forms the body or, depending on how you look at it, the spirit: People of all generations and genders with all their positive emotions and feelings enter into a dialogue with each other – humanity in positivism. Another aspect is environmental protection. If we want to continue to enjoy such beautiful flowers in the future, we have to appreciate nature more again.

The painting consists of the two primary colours blue and yellow. By mixing them with the third primary colour, the whole variety not only of the colour spectrum but (symbolically) of the whole life opens up. Through the chosen composition, the two contrasting colours blue and yellow enter into a hopeful dialogue. Such a dialogue is also needed for the new intergenerational contract. All levels of society have a responsibility to create sustainable solutions for a peaceful world.

Alex Doll

Artist of the 52^nd annual artwork: “Impression 3rd phase blue”

Alex Doll’s gallery is located on Gerechtigkeitsgasse 74 in 3011 Bern.