Reviving the Beatnik Spirit: Exploring the Art of Alexander Hamilton

Melbourne artist, filmmaker, and former member of the iconic Australian band ‘The Saints’, Alexander Hamilton, speaks with a rapid flow of ideas, as if racing against time with much to express.

This torrent of ideas is vividly displayed in his layered, multimedia works that guide viewers through the winding paths of the artist’s personal experiences and fleeting insights into the deprivations hidden beneath our modern, technology-obsessed world.

Fitting so much within a painting's frame is not an accidental result of having too much to express. It is a deliberate, anarchistic response to the overwhelming influence of technology and our constructed environment, an effort to gather and reorder not as a 'means to an end, but rather as a mode of human existence' - a concept of "enframement" first introduced by the German philosopher Martin Heidegger in his essay, 'The Framework' ('Das Gestell') in 1949.

At first glance, these complex pieces might appear daunting, yet the clue lies in the exhibition's title, “Faint Recollections We Lived There”.

The pieces are primarily autobiographical, with the artist prominently featured as he documents and illustrates his experiences in pursuit of a voice.

Alexander Hamilton, 'The Lighthouse invites the Wandering Sea of Fog' (2023), Acrylic paint, ink, watercolour, and paper photocopy

In this manner, the works are mostly unplanned, with the artist embracing the spontaneous, therapeutic nature of drawing to release his subconscious and create its own story.

This positions Hamilton and his dramatic works at the forefront of a revival of the Beatnik spirit in my mind - rejecting the constraints of convention and a repressive world to pursue anarchist ideals in the free-spirited, dynamic style of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and other icons of the Beatnik Generation.

Like the American Beat poets, writers, and artists of the 1950s, Hamilton possesses an explosively lyrical and charismatic style, capturing the ideals and approaches that our technology-driven world distorts—a form of repression similarly described by Kerouac when referring to the Cold War as "the speed and tension and ecstatic tomfoolery of the age."

Alexander Hamilton, 'The Sea Fails to Drown Itself' (2023), Acrylic paint, ink, watercolour, and paper photocopy

I have a lingering impression that Hamilton experiences a feeling of helplessness, coupled with a deep nostalgia for a bygone society. This is evident in his persistent endeavor to explore and document his surroundings, ultimately expressing anger towards it, only to eventually give in.

Kerouac once mentioned that he wrote for 'companionship' for those seeking ''the key / out this dark corridor, / the effulgent door, / the mysterious knob, / the bright room gained.''

Jack Kerouac in 1966. Photo: Vanity Fair

The pieces in this exhibition undoubtedly serve as a companion for the artist himself. However, much like Kerouac, Hamilton's persistent skepticism and satire of harmful forces resonate strongly with an increasingly informed audience.

Hamilton is a perceptive and exceptionally talented artist, keenly aware of art's influence, and he has discovered a voice that is both lyrical and profound. He deserves a prominent place in our awareness, especially during these challenging times.

Alexander Hamilton: 'Faint Recollections We Lived There', 5 to 28 October 2023 at Jacob Hoerner Galleries, 1 Sutton Place, Carlton

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Alexander Hamilton 'Sorry I died, I hope this doesn't put you in a difficult position' (2023), Ink, varnish, etching ink engraved on salvaged acrylic perspex

Alexander Hamilton, 'Face down footsteps climb to the Maps surface' (2023), Acrylic paint, ink, watercolour and paper photocopy

Alexander Hamilton, 'After Monet’s Photograph of his Shadow on a Lilypond Surface' (2023), Acrylic paint, ink, watercolour and paper photocopy

Alexander Hamilton, 'Days of my Circle South' (2023), Acrylic paint, ink, watercolour, paper photocopy

Installation Shot, 'Faint Recollections We Lived There' at Jacob Hoerner Galleries, Melbourne

Photo: Art Guide Australia

About the author

Andrew McIlroy is an artist and writer, living and working in Melbourne Australia

www.andrewmcilroy.com