TROUBLE is Sam Hillmer and Laura Paris
Trouble live and work in New York and have been active since 2006.
Sam Hillmer is a Brooklyn-based artist, musician, and curator. He is the founding member of the band Zs and one half of the art duo Trouble (with Laura Paris). He also makes music as Diamond Terrifier. Recent collaborations include work with David Salle, Tauba Auerbach, Dirty Projectors, Laurel Halo, Arto Lindsay, and Eartheater. Past projects include H0L0, Trans-Pecos, Wet Ink, and the SEM Ensemble, among others. Sam has a long history leading arts based initiatives in community and social service based settings in New York City where he has collaborated with organizations including the Department of Youth and Community Development, Carnegie Hall, The New Museum and Pioneer Works, among others, on community based programs. Sam is presently Programming Director and Producer at DMINTI, an arts organization producing new art works at the intersection of fine art and technology. Currently DMINTI is working on projects with Judy Chicago, Nadya Tolokonnikova, Josephine Mecksepper, and Ricci Albenda.
Laura Paris is a sculptor, projectionist, and installation artist. She has shown/performed at Pioneer Works, the Queens Museum, Experimental Media Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), The Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art, White Chappell Gallery and.the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in London, and Vacant Gallery in Tokyo Japan. Laura appears frequently with her partner and collaborator Sam Hillmer as projectionist for Diamond Terrifier and ZS. Laura is also active as an arts based community activist in Bushwick Brooklyn through her organization Arts and Literacy, which she founded in 1993. For 30 years Laura has worked to foster opportunity for young artists and to support access to the arts in undercapitalized and under served areas of New York City.
Selected...
EXHIBITIONS
2023 - Garner Arts Center, West Haverstraw, NY - Curated by Jesse Heffler - You Are Not Here - the virtual maze
2022 - Basilica Hudson, Hudson, NY - Curated by Melissa Auf der Maur - ‘Vanitas’
2022 - Garner Arts Center, West Haverstraw, NY - Curated by Jesse Heffler - ‘You Are Here’
2021 - PS21 Chatham, Chatham, NY - Curated by Elena Siyanko - ‘You Are Here’
2018 - Second Ward Foundation, Hudson, NY - Curated by Walter Sudol and Jonathan Rosenberg - ‘Ornament-Body’, ‘Pick em out knock em down’, ‘Life After People’, ‘Text Composition 1’, video survey
2018 - Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, NY - Curated by Justin Frye - 'Life After People', 'Stood Maze', video survey
2017 - Knockdown Center, Queens, NY - Curated by Michael Merck - 'Wall < Enter'
2017 - Basilica Hudson, Drone Fest, Hudson, NY - Curated by John Rosenthal and Melissa Auf der Maur - 'Music for Peaks'
2016 - New Art Dealers Alliance, Art Week Miami, Miami, FL - Curated by NADA - 'Life After People'
2016 - Mary Sky, Hancock, VT - Curated by Macrina Newhouse - 'Woods Drape'
2016 - Knockdown Center, Queens, NY - Curated by Michael Merck - 'You Are Here'
2016 - Queens Museum of Art, Queens International, Queens, NY - Curated by Hitomi Iwasaki and Lindsey Berfond - 'Stood Maze'
2015 - Museum Of Transitory Art, Ljubljana, Slovenia - Curated by Ziga Pucelj - 'Apparition'
2015 - Center 548, SELECT Art Fair, NYC - Curated by Brian Whitely - 'Stood Maze'
2015 - Thalia Hall, Chicago - Curated By Brent Heyl - 'You Are Here'
2014 - Altes Finanzamt, De - Curated By Ein Welt Aus Hack - 'Apparition'
2014 - Invisible Dog Art Center, NYC - Curated by Risa Shoup - 'Apparition'
2013 - West Germany, De - Curated by Ein Welt Aus Hack - 'You Are Here'
2013 - Secret Project Robot Gallery, NYC - Curated by Secret Project Robot - 'You Are Here'
2009 - Death By Audio, NYC - Curated by Edan Wilber - 'You Are Here'
2007 - Chashama Gallery, NYC - Curated by Risa Shoup - 'You Are Here'
PROJECTIONS
2022 - Le Guess Who, Utrecht, NL - Curated by Bob van Hear - With ZS
2021 - Layer House, Kranj, Sl - Curated by Danijela Tonkovic - With Diamond Terrifier
2020 - Pawilon, Poznan, PL - Curated by Krystian Zlasu - With Diamond Terrifier
2020 - Standards Gallery, Milan, IT - Curated by Enrico Gilardi - With Diamond Terrifier
2019 - Ginza Sony Park, Tokyo, JP - Curated by Ryu Takahashi - With Diamond Terrifier
2019 - Senggi Studios, Seoul, KR - With Diamond Terrifier
2019 - Urban Nomad Festival, Taipei, TW - With Diamond Terrifier
2018 - Sudpol, Luzerne, CH - Curated by Nadine Rumph - With ZS
2018 - Foyer Foce, CH - Curated by Fresh Fest Lugano - With ZS
2017 - Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, Queens, NY - Curated by Jen Lyon - With Gobby, Ben Vida, Greg Fox, Tristan Perich
2017 - Knockdown Center, Nasty Women, Queens, NY - With 'Diamond Terrifier Cipher'
2015 - Satellite Art Fair, Miami, FL - With Fade To Mind
2013 - New Museum, NYC - Curated by Victoria Keddie - With Diamond Terrifier and ESP TV
2013 - Merkin Concert Hall, NYC - Curated by Judd Greenstein - With DJ Rupture
2010 - White Chapel Gallery, London - With ZS
COLLABORATIONS
2022 - with PRSA - Layer House, Kranj, Sl - ‘Emanate/Crenellate’
2016 - with 8 Ball Zine Fair - Queens Museum, Queens International Show, Queens, NY - 'Really Seeing'
2015 - with ZS - Sudpol, CH - Curated by Remo Halfenstein - 'SCORE: Live Remix installation'
2015 - with Sam Hillmer - Roulette, NYC - Curated by Experiments in Opera - 'This Is Soon And That was The Web This Is Going To Be'
2014 - with ZS - West Germany, De - Curated by Ein Welt Aus Hack - 'SCORE: Live Remix installation'
2013 - with ZS - Kunsthalle Krems - Donau Festival - Krems, Austria - 'SCORE: Live Remix installation'
2013 - with ZS - Museum of Human Achievement, Austin TX - 'SCORE: Live Remix installation'
2013 - with ZS - VACANT Gallery, Tokyo - 'SCORE: Live remix installation'
2013 - with ZS - Ecstatic Music Festival, NYC - 'SCORE: Live remix installation'
2012 - with Nuit Blanche NYC - Bring To Light Festival, NY - Projections installation
COMMISSIONS
2017 - Basilica Hudson, Hudson, NY - Curated by Melissa auf der Mer and John Rosenthal - 'Music For Peaks'
2016 - Knockdown Center, Queens, NY - Curated by Michael Merck - 'You Are Here'
2015 - Center 548, SELECT Art Fair, NYC - Curated by Brian Whitely - 'You Are Here (stood maze)'
2015 - Roulette, NYC - Curated by Experiments in Opera - 'This Is Soon And That was The Web This Is Going To Be'
2010 - Roulette, NYC - Roulette Anniversary - Curated by Matthew Mehlan - Classical Music
2009 - EMPAC, NY - Filament Festival - Curated by Micah Silver - Spre: A Narrow Vehicle
GROUP SHOWS
2015 - Satellite Art Fair, Miami - Curated by Brian Whitely - Submission
2013 - Fondazioni, Querini Stampalia, Venice - Imago Mundi - Curated by Diego Cortez - Apparition
2011 - ICA, London - A Dying Artist - Curated by Ed Atkins - Sprey: A Narrow Vehicle
2009 - EMPAC, NY - Filament Festival - Curated by Micah Silver - Sprey: A Narrow Vehicle
PUBLICATIONS
2013 - Imago Mundi - Luciano Benetton
DISCOGRAPHY
2012 - The Maze Compilation - Words + Dreams
GRANTS
2022 - NYSCA - Support for Artists Grant