This thesis investigates the representation of women artists featured in current modern and contemporary art exhibitions in the Nordic area. The aim is to gain insight into how the artistries of female artists are formulated today and how their depiction relates to the concept of gender awareness. The analysis stems from the study of the written public material offered in the exhibition spaces, and from observations of the curatorial choices made in the presentation of the educational material.

Discourse analysis is applied as a method of examining what kind of linguistic and curatorial narratives were constructed for the art audience; what kind of information was presented and how, and what was omitted. This includes the study of to what extent the artist and her own voice is present, as well as which personal and professional attributes of hers are emphasized. There is also an analysis of the supporting socio-cultural context provided in the texts and the personal photographs displayed of the artists.

The results indicate a consistent emphasis on the inextricability of the art from the artist's person, occasionally underscored by the display of a lot of personal photographs of the artist. Several of the exhibitions did not feature the artist's own voice to a higher extent and even presented works by various male artists in their lives. The artists are commonly characterized as "exceptional women" - versatile, productive, successful, courageous, independent and pioneering. This kind of praise is offered without contextual specification of the hurdles that these artists were faced with, and the practical, structural and historical marginalization of women artists.