David Matchavariani

David Matchavariani, known as Kakadu, was born in 1976 in Tbilisi, Georgia. 

He graduated from Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. During his student years, he used to play drums with Irakli Charkviani and together they established the most famous band in the history of independent Georgia. 

Since 1997 he has published his comics and illustrations in numerous magazines and newspapers. Besides making illustrations, he is actively involved in theater performances, cinema, motion designing and has worked for the opening of the Abesalom and Eteri Opera. 

He has been actively cooperating with Sulakauri Publishing regarding various illustrated-book projects and in 2011 created illustrations for the original poem The Knight in the Panther’s Skin by Shota Rustaveli. In 2019, Sulakauri Publishing published a graphic novel based on the same poem, with the illustrations made by David Matchavariani and for the moment, it stands as the major work of the artist.