Queer artist Qing Liu wonders, "What is gay now?" That's certainly the question on a slew of artists featured in powerHouse's Nicholas Weist curated show, "The Male Gaze".

As we mentioned last week, Weist and his crew of queer artists recently gathered to discuss the past, present and future of gay-flavored art. The New York Times spilled a few words over the weekend to explore the ever-changing creative zeitgeist. And, yes, former Queerty feature subject Weist had a few things to say: "The art we’re showing argues for a new kind of alternativism that reacts against the mainstream of the culture." As Guy Trebay points out, many of the artists featured in "The Male Gaze" were born in a post-AIDS world, thus freeing their work from the nasty politics seen in an older generation of gay art.

CONTINUED »

It's a gay art supernova down at powerHouse tonight. Artist A.A. Bronson, Fischerspooner's Casey Spooner, fan favorite Bruce Benderson and gallerist Daniel Reich join powerHouse managing editor, Nicholas Weist for the BUTT-sponsored panel, "Them Boys".

The stellar panel revolves around the history and potential future of gay art. And at the center of this brilliant cosmos lies Peter Berlin - the artist whose iconic bulge burned up the art scene in the 1970s.

German born Berlin's performative self-portraiture worked people - including himself - into a lather. Berlin brought costumed cruising into the limelight, shining a celebratory light on gay sexuality. Berlin's fetishized identity comes into sharpest focus in his 1974 movie, That Boy. A prime example of Berlin's alluring approach, the flick highlights his manipulative compression of voyeuristic fascination and exhibitionistic narcissism.

In addition to the discussion, "Them Boys" will also be screening That Boy - the first public showing in twenty years. How's that for galactic?

Get the dazzling details after the jump. And don't forget our interviews with Bronson (parts one and two) , Benderson and, yes, Mr. Weist.)

CONTINUED »

It seems GayCityNews has been reading Queerty, because they just featured a cover story on The Youth Issue feature subject, our old friend Nick Weist. You kids may recall Weist's the wunderkind behind powerHouse books' new gay art imprint, Aschenbach.

Sitting down with Weist, homo journo Christopher Murray gets down and dirty. Here's a little excerpt:

CM: Do you adore sleaze?
NW: Yes. Not so much in practice, but definitely in theory. Gay culture was much more exciting when it was slumming. I look to figures like Genet and Proust who made clear the exciting furtiveness of sneaking off into the barn to debauch the stableboy.

Weist also shares the secrets behind his publishing (and social) philosophy:

CM: So, are you helping people see new ways of having a sexual identity?
NW: No, because I hope a sexual identity doesn't consume a complete human identity. I don't feel that because I do it with guys that there are attendant personal traits that should come with that. If someone looks at an artist that I've put in a show or published and sees that there are alternative ways to be, I've succeeded. But I hope that they just don't adopt that artist's mode one hundred percent. I hope that people are receptive to ideas that then help shape their own way of being in the world.

There you have it, kids: Nick Weist will change the way you look at gay art. That is, if he hasn't already…

Read the entire interview here.

And, of course, relive the magic of our interview with Weist. He'll be so pleased.