Who is a good Malaysian woman? Is it headline grabbing self-styled swinger Vivian Lee (of Alvivi fame), sticking her tongue out in a selfie, or is it the unnamed ubiquitious homemaker, hidden and undefined?

And who decides what constitutes the good Malaysian woman?

These are the questions asked by 22 artists in the exhibition 'The Good Malaysian Woman: Ethnicity, Religion, Politics' which runs from May 18-25 at the Black Box, MAP Publika.

According to organisers All Women's Action Society (Awam) and Interp8 Art Space, the exhibition of 30 works of art in various mediums questions not a woman's self and identity, but also of community and nationality.

Elaborating, Awam assistant programme manager Lee Wei San said that the works also delve into the impact of religious and ethnic strife against women.

“Intolerance around ethnic and religious issues has particular effects on women. Women, more so than men, are pressured to speak, behave, or dress in specific ways.

“Women are also stigmatised or persecuted when they do not conform to accept gender roles, or fit within what society imagines as the ‘the good Malaysian woman’.”

Lee said through the works of the artists, including Sharon Chin - who did a piece featuring Vivian Lee - Yee I-Lann, Aisyah Baharuddin and Minstrel Kuik, Awam hopes to encourage an inclusive Malaysia, which adheres to principles of equality, justice and compassion.

The theme's selection, said curators Sharmin Parameswaran and Sunitha Janamohanan, was chosen in collaboration with the women artists.

The artists aim to present the audience with a series of thought-provoking work on the role of women in family and society.