Elena Uriel and Sento Llobell design the Splash 2026 festival poster around hope
Sagunto's Department of Youth and Children presented the poster for the 13th edition of Splash — the Valencian Community Comic Festival — on 11 June, created by two local artists inspired by the sea and the port.
The image grew out of several visits by Elena Uriel to the pier to find the best angle on the sea horizon. The painter, who holds degrees in Fine Arts and Philosophy and has been a drawing professor since 1981, wanted viewers to almost hear the waves when they look at the poster. Her partner Sento Llobell — a cartoonist of the New Valencian School of comics and the designer of the giant Gulliver playground statue in Valencia's Jardín del Turia — aimed to tell a small story showing both the port and the two urban centres of Sagunto.
Splash is a free festival organised by Sagunto City Council together with the Valencian Institute of Youth (IVAJ). It features talks by leading comic artists, exhibitions, film screenings, workshops and children's activities. The 13th edition runs 20–22 November at the José Veral pavilion in Puerto de Sagunto (coastal district). Mayor Darío Moreno and Councillor Roberto Rovira joined the two artists at the presentation in the city council chamber.