Elín Hansdóttir at i8 Gallery, Tryggvagata 16, Reykjavik, Iceland, through August 21, www.i8.is

This young, multi-disciplinary Icelander’s previous body of work involved immersive installations, like 2007’s warped staircase, "Drift." Here she changes course, exploring the filmed movement of dance to create brightly colored abstract photos that occasionally resemble psychedelic flowers.

Daniel Richter, "Spagotzen," at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Mirabellplatz 2, Salzburg, Austria, through August 28, www.ropac.net

Richter’s oil on canvas works are simultaneously light and unnerving. These playfully enigmatic pieces have a thematic connection to an opera set he designed for "Lulu" (which, like "Spring Awakening," uses Wedekind for its source material.) In "Besuch der Wirklichkeit" we see either a crowd of marauding zombies, or a mob of Day-Glo ravers. In the vibrantly volcanic landscape of "The Escapist," a naked woman squats off the edge of a cliff.

"The Big Picture" at Priska Juschka Fine Art, 547 West 27th Street, New York, United States, through September 11, www.priskajuschkafineart.com

Co-curated by Ryan Schneider — whose bright canvases can recall David Hockney, and often feature an exquisitely offbeat take on naked human anatomy — this massive exhibition is based on a simple premise: big art. From exploding bears to Picasso portraits and a demonic Adam and Eve, this can’t-miss group show proves that large-scale painting is still capable of eliciting a visceral reaction.

Matthew Barney, "Prayer Sheet with the Wound and the Nail," at Schaulager, Ruchfeldstrasse 19, Basel, Switzerland, through October 3, www.schaulager.org

The Laurenz Foundation and MoMA recently purchased Barney’s extensive, 16-part "Drawing Restraint" series, and this show, curated by Neville Wakefield, pairs the American’s output with European work from the 15th and 16th centuries. Now we just need Criterion Collection to ponder a Cremaster box set, and Barney’s artistic dominance will be complete.

"The Original Copy: Photography of Sculpture, 1839 to Today," at the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New York, United States, through November 1, moma.org

This wide-ranging survey plays fast and loose with the definition of the genre, and challenges the way we think about capturing three-dimensional objects. Bring a friend, and then debate whether Gabriel Orozcos image of cat food cans balanced on watermelons is a sculpture or a photograph. (Whichever you decide, we say it’s pure genius.)