Elmer Castillo was born in Guantanamo, Cuba.

He started his career as a self-taught painter and designer and held his first solo exhibition "Estampas desde mi aldea" at La Celosia Gallery in 1998.  He settled in Madrid In 2002, expanding his artistic studies and practices into design and photography. He graduated from IT at Alcala de Henares University in Spain. He studied Art History at Palermo University and took the specialization course of Modern and Contemporary Art at the MoMA, New York. He has been based in Miami since 2016, where he continues to pursue his passion for innovation in contemporary art. He collaborates with Miami-Dade County in cultural events and serves as Events Advisor and Curator of audiovisual exhibitions at La Mansión Castillo in Havana, Cuba. He has written the books "Art&Habanos. Smoke and Brushstrokes" and "Homenaje a Celia Cruz en Cuba".