Born in 1976 in Tbilisi, David Machavariani studied at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. His field of interest was sculpture, ceramics, drawing, printmaking digital art, animation as well as stage and graphic design.
Since 1997, he has published comics and illustrations in various magazines and newspapers. In addition to illustrating books and articles, he serves as a stage and costume designer for experimental and State Theaters .
Best known for his graphic novel adaptation of The Knight in the Panther's Skin, where his unique style brings Rustaveli's epic to life in a way that is both visually captivating and deeply faithful to the spirit of the original.
Through intricate black-and-white illustrations, he merges poetic rime tune with Georgian spirit and modern graphic storytelling, allowing readers to experience the legendary tale in a fresh, accessible format.
Knight in the Panters Skin
222 page graphic novel book
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PRINTS
2014
June
Vine Factory Basment Exhibition
Brake Through Work
jewellery collection
by Zarapxana
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David Matchavariani also extended his creative exploration of The Knight in the Panther's Skin into a jewelry collection designed for the Georgian brand Zarapxana. This collection translates the themes and aesthetics of Rustaveli’s epic into finely crafted jewelry, blending traditional Georgian motifs with contemporary elegance.
Jewelry collection for Zarapxana, inspired by The Knight in the Panther's Skin, was presented alongside a series of stunning photographs by Mari Nakani. Nakani's photography beautifully complements Matchavariani's designs, capturing the jewelry’s intricate details and poetic essence.
2011
June
Europian Hause Gallery Exhibition
Brake Through Work
Brake Through Work
Knight in the Panters Skin
classic poem edittion
Despite the monochrome medium, Matchavariani’s detailed crosshatching captures both the grandeur and intimate moments of the story. The absence of color draws attention to the fine lines and textures, emphasizing the characters' expressions, the intricate Georgian patterns, and the medieval settings. Through these powerful, classical-style illustrations, Matchavariani bridges Rustaveli's medieval world with a contemporary audience, preserving the poem’s cultural heritage while infusing it with a modern visual style.
Illustrations for an edition of the Georgian epic poem “The Knight in the Panther’s Skin” (Georgian: ვეფხისტყაოსანი), drawn by Georgian artist Datto Machavariani and published by Bakur Sulakauri Publishing House in 2011.
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Lecture du jour (du jeudi 9 novembre...) ! #UnJourUneBD #BD #BandeDessinee #jeudiBD #VendrediLecture #LeChevalierALaPeauDeTigre @dattomatch #ChotaRustavéli @moderntimes_edizioni
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Quelle oeuvre ! De prime abord, on ne peut qu'être subjugué par le dessin de David Machavariani, auteur géorgien, diplômé de l'Académie des Arts de Tbilissi, qui nous livre ici sa première oeuvre au long cours. En l'espèce, une splendide mise en dessins d'un poème à la fois épique, lyrique et chevaleresque, signé Chota Roustavéli, écrivain géorgien du XIIe siècle ! L'ouvrage est un véritable monument national géorgien !
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Assez proche, dans notre imaginaire collectif, des contes des « Mille et Une Nuits », le récit se déploie entre l'Arabie et l'Inde et donne à découvrir deux histoires d'amour, reliées entre elles par l'amitié de trois héros courageux, prêts à affronter de longues et dangereuses quête par dévouement les uns envers les autres et pour l'amour de leurs promises. Qualifiée un peu présomptueusement de « récit d'amour courtois », l'oeuvre de Roustavéli est magnifiée par son passage dans les mains de David Machavariani. Le dessinateur, qui avait en premier lieu illustré un recueil du poème original, nous livre ici un album au format à l'italienne d'une extraordinaire complexité graphique, le gaufrier variant à chaque page, dans des formes rarement utilisées dans le monde occidental ! Chaque page est un véritable tableau !
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Soulignons au passage le travail de la très jeune maison d'édition franco-italienne « Modern Times », fondée en février 2020… à la veille de la crise sanitaire du Covid, et qui publie ici sa première BD. S'étant donné pour mission de proposer des œuvres issues de langues peu traduites et de littératures peu présentes sur la scène éditoriale italienne et française, elle offre ici à David Machavariani un véritable écrin reposant sur format extra-large percutant et un papier d'une rare qualité ! Quelle entrée en matière ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What a work! David Machavariani, a Georgian writer and graduate of the Tbilisi Academy of Arts, has given us his first full-length work. In this case, a splendid drawing of an epic, lyrical and knightly poem by twelfth-century Georgian writer Chota Roustavéli! The work is a true Georgian national monument! ~ Quite similar in our collective imagination to the tales of the "Thousand and One Nights", the story unfolds between Arabia and India and reveals two love stories, linked by the friendship of three courageous heroes, ready to face long and dangerous quests out of devotion to each other and for the love of their promises. Somewhat presumptuously described as a "tale of courtly love", Rustaveli's work is magnified by its passage through the hands of David Machavariani. Machavariani, who first illustrated a collection of the original poem, has now produced an extraordinarily complex album in an Italian-style format, with the waffle pattern varying on each page in forms rarely used in the Western world! Each page is a real painting! ~ We should also mention the work of the very young Franco-Italian publishing house "Modern Times", founded in February 2020... on the eve of the Covid health crisis, and which is publishing its first comic book here. Their mission is to offer works from languages that are rarely translated and from literatures that have little presence on the Italian and French publishing scene, and here they offer David Machavariani a veritable showcase based on a striking extra-large format and paper of rare quality! What a way to start!