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The Straw Man: "I Wanted to Thank the Man Who Changed My Life, But It Was Too Late"

The Straw Man: "I Wanted to Thank the Man Who Changed My Life, But It Was Too Late"

Artist Yosef Yadidzyon creates all his works from a collection of straws. He is now launching a special exhibition showcasing stunning pieces. Who is the person who taught him the secret of creation, but he never got to thank?

מיכל אריאלי
07.06.23 15:51

(Credit: Sadan Art Production)

When Yosef Yadidzyon was growing up as a child in Tehran, Iran, during the 1950s in a wealthy Jewish family, he never imagined that he would someday immigrate to Israel and become a unique and rare kind of artist.

In the summer of 1964, he visited Israel as part of a roots trip. He stayed in Kibbutz Alonim and met a unique artist there who created pictures from straw. "This was the first time I was exposed to this art, and it was from him that I drew inspiration for my creations," he recalls.

Over the years, Yadidzyon lived in Israel, but he frequently traveled abroad, mainly to the Far East, where he was exposed to the highly developed straw art there. He learned different techniques and acquired professional knowledge and extensive experience. "Initially, I created portraits of family members," he says, "and quickly expanded this to portraits and familiar figures from Israeli and global society."

His creations and their nature rapidly evolved into different techniques he invented himself, with a rich variety of subjects. He developed methods for dyeing the straw by soaking it in various dyes for prolonged periods, using shading techniques that require great skill in controlling the heat of the electric soldering iron, in the way the straw is glued, and in the angles of adhesion.

Even today, as he crosses the age of 80, Yadidzyon continues to create with vigor, producing masterpieces that will be displayed starting this July at the 'Beit Zioni America' in Tel Aviv, initiated by curator Rachel Ziv.

"In the early 2000s, I returned to Kibbutz Alonim to thank the special artist to whom I owe my knowledge of straw art, only to find out that he was a disabled IDF veteran and hospitalized," Yadidzyon recounts. "I went to the hospital, where I found him connected to a ventilator and sedated. I left with a broken heart and a feeling of missed opportunity for not having the chance to thank him for the creation that changed my life."