Jesolo Makes Its Mark on the International Art Scene: A Tourism Poster Created by Leading Illustrators Is Unveiled
Jesolo is writing a new chapter in its history of tourism and culture.
JesoloVenice has launched an ambitious and original project: each year, an internationally renowned illustrator will create an artistic poster dedicated to the city, combining the power of tourism promotion with the value of contemporary graphic art in a single work.
Kicking off this new tradition is Manuele Fior, one of the world’s most acclaimed Italian comic artists and illustrators, creator of works such as *Cinquemila chilometri al secondo*—which earned him the prestigious Fauve d’Or at the Angoulême International Comics Festival—and the poster for the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in 2025. A name of the highest prestige for a project that aims to position Jesolo within an international cultural circuit.
The poster
Fior’s work offers a panoramic view of the Jesolo coastline, with giant, colorful kites soaring overhead; arranged in perspective, they spell out the city’s name. Among the motifs, the dragon—Jesolo’s heraldic emblem—and the famous duck—the town’s historic tourist symbol—stand out: two sides of the same city portrayed with a fresh, contemporary perspective.
“I tried to create an image capable of evoking emotion and a sense of belonging, while maintaining a contemporary and international perspective,” said the artist, recalling how kites hold a vast imagery for him—from Charlie Brown to Japanese washi paper kites, from Polynesian kites used to communicate with the gods to acrobatic kites—before imagining six new ones, colorful and fluttering in the warm summer breeze, with their shadows cast upon the sand of Jesolo.
A collector's item featuring augmented reality
The poster will be produced in an initial run of 51 copies: the first copy will be displayed at the Casa del Turismo in Jesolo, while the other 50, numbered and signed by the artist, will be made available to collectors. A subsequent print run will be used for promotional purposes in the local area.
Each poster will incorporate augmented reality: by framing the image with a smartphone, the artwork will come to life, creating a dialogue between traditional graphics and contemporary digital technologies.
A project that looks to the future
The project was officially unveiled at Capannina Beach, in the presence of the artist and artistic director Nicola Ferrarese—co-director of the Treviso Comics Festival and winner of the 2026 Dragondoro Award—who was a strong advocate for this initiative: “When we first started talking about bringing Jesolo back to life in the world of international advertising posters, I had only one name in mind: Manuele Fior.”
Mayor Christofer De Zotti is also enthusiastic: “The poster is not merely a promotional tool, but a work of art capable of conveying our city’s identity with sensitivity, creativity, and a contemporary vision.”
Year after year, these posters will form a permanent gallery, open to visitors and serving as a living testament to how Jesolo looks to the future without forgetting its history. A history rooted in a long tradition of illustrated communication, as evidenced by the works preserved at the Salce Collection National Museum in Treviso, and which today is being revitalized with an eye toward the world.
