Mzia Japaridze (b. 1944, Oni) is a Georgian graphic artist whose principal medium is printmaking, particularly color etching. Her work belongs to a strand of Georgian graphic art of the second half of the twentieth century that approached national motifs and scenes of everyday life through a lyrical, individual visual language.

Japaridze began her training at an art school before continuing her studies at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. Her teachers included Lado Grigolia and Lado Kutateladze. In 1975, she completed her training at the graphic arts workshop led by Sergo Kobuladze.

Motherhood, human relationships, the city, and the natural world occupy a central place in her work. Her prints are distinguished by their poetic sensibility, attention to the expressive possibilities of colour and openness to interpretation. National traditions inform both her subjects and the emotional perspective through which she approaches them.

Her works include Autumn, Blue Day, Tbilisi, Under Peaceful Skies, Motherhood, Noon and A Walk. In her color etchings, the interplay of line and color creates an intimate, at times melancholic atmosphere.

Japaridze participated in exhibitions across Georgia, and her work was also shown in Moscow. According to a profile published in 1991, her etchings had been acquired by Georgia’s Ministry of Culture and museums.

In Japaridze’s prints, everyday subjects become a means of exploring inner life. Her artistic approach brings together a personal engagement with national traditions, creative independence, and a sustained interest in color.

Source: Inashvili, Ina. “Chuvstvo prekrasnogo” [“A Sense of Beauty”]. Svobodnaia Gruzia, no. 190, October 5, 1991.