CURATOR: The hotel lobby, nudes, and... more nudes. On tricycles.

Art-geek extraordinaire Courtney Sexton presents a weekly selection of Philly's must-see gallery exhibits. This week: hotel lobbies, Bam Margera, nudes, and... more nudes. On tricycles.

Art at Le Meridien

If you live in town, you might not know that Le Meridien isn’t just your average EconoLodge. It's part of a group of boutique hotels around the country that promote the arts through partnerships with cultural institutions. Here in Philly, Le Meridien teams up with the ICA for LM100, an initiative geared toward “transforming Le Meridien hotels into creative hubs.” The building itself, a former YMCA, is a historic spot, and visual art decorates the rooms, hallways and common areas to “curate original experiences.” (Even the room keys are mini works of art.)

This month, Le Meridien’s hotel lobby space, one of its main viewing sites, is featuring work exclusively by Philadelphia artists so that “visitors from all over the world can get a taste of local talent.” The pieces include Liz Goldberg’s animated sequence Beat Box Philly, viewable at the hotel bar and embedded above. The animated short is set up between two of her paintings, which highlight Philly landmarks and attractions. Other artists featured in the exhibit are Bradford Carmichael, Lynne Filion, Benjamin Gonzales and Angela McQuillan. The series of large-scale abstract portraits installed on the wood paneling of the main seating area make you feel as if you are in Dr. Barnes’s study.

Through May 30, free, Le Meridien, 1421 Arch St., 215-422-8200, lemeridienphiladelphia.com

Ven and Vaida Presents Adrian Abonce’s “You Are Beautiful”

The human body is a beautiful thing, even if we can’t always see it that way. In his first large solo exhibition opening tonight at Old City's Ven and Vaida, Colombian-born photographer Adrian Abonce aims to show us why and how. In a series predominantly comprising black-and-white nudes (with a few shots of color and some architectural details sprinkled about), Abonce portrays bodies as he sees them — works of art in and of themselves. Having worked for over 15 years as a graphic designer and a photographer for only the past five, Abonce’s background clearly influences his stylistic and compositional choices; subtleties in light and shadow, curvature and line dominate each shot.

Ven and Vaida, a jewelry store, is an ideal setting for this particular exhibition: The streamlined presentation of the nudes creates a stunning balance with the jewelry displays, pure bodies hovering over the trinkets that we use to adorn them. Our puritanical culture often balks at nudes, and Abonce admits that he has had a hard time selling this show, even though his attention to form makes the images so dramatically abstract that in some cases you don’t initially register them as bodies. But, then, it is those features that make the bodies beautiful in the artist’s mind: “I don’t do touchups. All of the pores and hairs and pimples that we all have, they stay. I keep all of the imperfections.”

Through April 29, free, Ven and Vaida, 18 S. Third St., 215-592-4099, ab-11.com, venandvaida.com

“Bam Margera and Friends” at James Oliver Gallery

When JOG opened in 2008, I really hoped it would make it. Since its opening, the contemporary art gallery in Old City has continued to put up edgy, original shows. What I really love about it is that it is a very traditional gallery space that often shows non-traditional works. The curators at JOG aren’t afraid to look outside of the box when it comes to fine art, and they manage to do so quite tastefully. This month’s show, opening tonight, is no exception.

In a flurried mix of quirky staged portrait photography and loud paintings reminiscent of the German Expressionists, the group show “Bam Margera and Friends” is a funky tribute to pop culture. The exhibition is the first public showing for Jackasses-cum-artists Bam Margera, Ryan Gee, and Geoff Blake, and says it “explores edgy, satirical and contemporary punk imagery on topics such as social reform, sex, religion and law.” Subject choices are surprising and might catch you off-guard, but in a good way. An almost-naked man on a tricycle wearing a gas mask? You’ve got my attention. Put some Sex Pistols on your iPod and take a walk around.

Opening April 7, through April 21, free, James Oliver Gallery, 723 Chestnut St., fourth floor, 267-918-7432, jamesolivergallery.com