As part of the prestigious InterTabac Dortmund Fair, writer and artist Elmer Castillo presents his latest work: “Art & Habanos. Smoke & Brushstrokes,” a book that fuses lyrical prose with the visual arts, paying tribute to the history and cultural legacy of the Habano.
The work offers a brief, poetic, and sensorial journey into the universe of tobacco, from its origins with the Taíno people, through the emblematic Cuban brands, to the contemporary expressions cultivated in the diaspora.
Within its pages, Castillo interlaces words and images: each text is accompanied by original paintings created on canvases, antique chair backs, and reclaimed doors. These pieces, crafted with layers of acrylic paint and epoxy resin, create translucent surfaces that invite readers to immerse themselves in a three-dimensional experience. They incorporate tobacco leaves, soil, coins, and natural fibers—elements carefully selected to embody the essence of Cuban identity.
The book also includes an In Memoriam tribute to three great figures of the tobacco world: Heinrich Villiger, Alejandro Robaina, and José Orlando Padrón, men who dedicated their lives to spreading the culture of the Habano worldwide.
“Smoking cigars remained an island rite, but with the accent of a universal traveler. Smoke that crossed oceans, smoke that bound worlds, smoke that—even in palaces and courts of strange tongues—never ceased to be Cuban.”
Event Details
Date: September 18-20, 2025
Location: Hall 8 – Stand A18 – InterTabac Dortmund Fair, Germany
Author: Elmer Castillo
