Marita (The Wishing Tree)

Artist: Mariana Duarte Santos

Festival: Tbilisi Mural Fest

Year: 2026

Location: Gurjaani

Adress: 23 Guramishvili st

Category: Large Scale Mural

Topics: Love, Movies, Portrait, Tradition

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The mural depicts Marita, portrayed by Lika Kavzharadze, from The Wishing Tree (ნატვრის ხე / Natvris Khe, 1976), a Georgian film classic, directed by Tengiz Abuladze, based on stories by Giorgi Leonidze.

Set in a Georgian village at the beginning of the 20th century, The Wishing Tree tells several interconnected stories about love, tradition, and social conventions. Marita's tragic love story is the film's best-known episode and one of the most iconic scenes in Georgian cinema.

The mural was created by Portuguese artist Mariana Duarte Santos and is located in Gurjaani.

Mariana decided to paint Marita, the beloved character played by actress Lika Kavjaradze in Tengiz Abuladze’s film The Wishing Tree. With this work the artist responds to Georgia’s rich cultural heritage while creating a dialogue with the Gurjaani landscape. This particular scene was filmed right here in the Alazani (valley).

Tbilisi Mural Fest