Mimosa Pudica
- Title
- Mimosa Pudica
- Creator
- Xena Goldman Xena Goldman is a Minneapolis-based muralist, painter, illustrator and educator. She has a BA in art from the University of Minnesota and worked in education for ten years before becoming a full-time artist. Her work typically features bold colors and exaggerated portrait features. The indefinite line between real and fantasy present in her work is inspired by her experience with neurodivergence and sensory processing problems. Goldman fell in love with painting murals through a mural apprenticeship program where she found the large format suitable for expressing big emotions. She has painted almost two dozen murals in Cuba, Columbia and the U.S. In addition to muralism, Goldman is passionate about combining her art and teaching skills by creating educational comics. She has sold thousands of educational zines worldwide.
- Date
- Date of Creation: September 2025
Date of Documentation: November 2, 2025
- Description
- This mural features predominately curved, unbroken lines, creating the shapes of the raindrops, the human figure and the plant. Additionally, the work primarily has inorganic shapes, again creating the inorganic shapes of the raindrops, the subject, and the plant. There are circles used for the sunglasses and the figure’s body creates a sort of triangular shape within the space. The figure is composed nearly in the center of the mural. Further, the piece in its entirety is given an unusual shape; an oval being the base shape with the figure extending beyond its borders. The piece is fairly symmetrical with some extra weight given to the right side through the subject’s pose. The focal point of the piece is the subject’s face, framed by the pink gloves they wear. A muted, navy background contrasts the bright neon greens and pinks of the rest of the piece. The brightness of the neon creates an intensity that the mural as a whole emulates, while the color palette creates a sense of harmony throughout the piece. The repetition of the raindrops on either side of the figure also creates a sense of unity in the mural. The texture of the building is somewhat apparent in the mural, while the highlights and shadows on the subject’s skin and gloves creates a sense of smoothness and shininess. There is not much white space in this work, the background filled in with the plant and pattern of raindrops. The proportion of the figure is a bit distorted, the right leg and foot larger in comparison with the rest of the figure. Additionally, the size of the umbrella, being only a drink umbrella, is extremely disproportionate to the figure. The mural itself is larger than life, extending the height of a two-story wall.
- Subject
- This piece is inspired by sensory overwhelm. The subject wears sunglasses to dim bright lights, covers their ears to quiet loud sounds, and wears gloves to avoid tactile overwhelm. The neon color of the subject’s skin represents the electricity and overwhelm of overstimulation. The raindrops are meant to represent the intensity of sensory input, an inescapable shower of sensation. The tiny drink umbrella that the subject holds represents accommodations – though they help, they often fall short of fully protecting the overwhelmed person. Additionally, the title of the mural, Mimosa Pudica, is the latin name for the plant present in the mural. The Mimosa Pudica is also known as the “Sensitive Plant” and the “Shame Plant” because it folds its leaves inward when touched for self-protection. This is meant to represent the strong sense of shame many people are made to feel for being “too sensitive.” Furthermore, the subject’s position is meant to mimic this folding inwards for self-protection. The scale of this piece is meant to help visualize the magnitude of impact shame has and promote awareness and understanding of sensory overwhelm. Goldman, the artist, modeled the pose herself, but claims this piece is more than a self portrait – it is a representation of a common experience that is often shameful or overlooked.
- Rights
- Artist: Xena Goldman
Researcher: Kenavan Lindner - Source
- Chroma Zone. “Xena Goldman.” Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival, 2025, www.chromazone.net/xena-goldman.
Goldman, Xena. “Xena Goldman Instagram.” Instagram, Instagram, Sept. 2025, www.instagram.com/xenastuff/?hl=en.
Goldman, Xena. “Xena Stuff - About.” Xena Stuff, xenastuff.com/about. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
Files
Citation
Xena Goldman Xena Goldman is a Minneapolis-based muralist, painter, illustrator and educator. She has a BA in art from the University of Minnesota and worked in education for ten years before becoming a full-time artist. Her work typically features bold colors and exaggerated portrait features. The indefinite line between real and fantasy present in her work is inspired by her experience with neurodivergence and sensory processing problems. Goldman fell in love with painting murals through a mural apprenticeship program where she found the large format suitable for expressing big emotions. She has painted almost two dozen murals in Cuba, Columbia and the U.S. In addition to muralism, Goldman is passionate about combining her art and teaching skills by creating educational comics. She has sold thousands of educational zines worldwide., “Mimosa Pudica,” Museum in the streets: Murals in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, accessed June 7, 2026, https://mspmurals.omeka.net/items/show/175.