La ONG (Nelson Garrido Organization)

La ONG (Nelson Garrido Organization) was a self-managed cultural organization based in Caracas, Venezuela, founded by the photographer and artist Nelson Garrido in 2002 and directed by Gala Garrido from 2010 onward. It operated for two decades, from 2002 to 2022, as a hybrid entity that combined a cultural community, an artistic platform, an educational project, a public library and an exhibition space. Its own description framed it as "the space of those who have no space" and as a "temporarily liberated space" focused on the active practice of poetic terrorism. The organization functioned as a rhizome — decentered, non-hierarchical, defined by constant circulation and exchange, allowing metamorphosis without altering its own nature. It was conceived as a map that could always be dismantled and modified, with multiple entry and exit points and lines of flight. Over two decades it trained photographers and visual artists through an annual academic program, maintained three exhibition spaces that opened a dozen exhibitions per year, and acted as a sounding board for minorities, giving visibility to a diversity of creative proposals. It also operated as a digital platform for international artists, including portfolio presentations, articles, reading and film circles, and online encounters. La ONG was independent, working from dissidence and the margins, practicing freedom in a radical way. Its activities spanned photography, visual arts, editorial projects and public programming. The website hosted a newsletter, a virtual community section, and a library — the Biblioteca Ricardo Armas — featuring titles such as Nan Goldin's "I'll Be Your Mirror," a Nelson Garrido volume, and "Matsuda" by Yukio Kobayashi with Jean Saudek. It also published interviews, essays and "Píldoras ONG" (ONG Pills) on topics such as pictorialism in painting. After two decades of operation, La ONG ceased its activities in 2022. Its legacy is that of an influential independent cultural hub in Venezuela that nurtured a generation of photographers and visual artists and provided a platform for experimental and marginalized voices.

La ONG (Nelson Garrido Organization) was founded in 2002 by the Venezuelan photographer and artist Nelson Garrido in Caracas, Venezuela. It emerged as a self-managed cultural device — described in its own words as "the space of those who have no space" — and was conceived as a temporarily liberated space focused on the active practice of poetic terrorism. From its inception, it combined a cultural community, an artistic platform, an educational project, a public library and an exhibition space. Nelson Garrido directed the organization from 2002 to 2009. In 2010, Gala Garrido took over as director and led La ONG until its closure in 2022. Under this leadership, the organization continued to operate independently, from dissidence and the margins, practicing freedom in a radical way for two decades. Structurally, La ONG functioned as a rhizome: it did not begin or end, it was always in the middle. It was a decentered, non-hierarchical system defined only by constant circulation and exchange, allowing metamorphosis without altering its own nature. It was built as a map that could always be dismantled and modified, with multiple entry and exit points and lines of flight, always expansive. During its two decades of activity, La ONG trained photographers and visual artists through an annual academic program. It maintained three exhibition spaces, where a dozen exhibitions were inaugurated each year. It acted as a sounding board for minorities and gave visibility to a diversity of creative proposals. It also functioned as a digital platform for international artists, including portfolio presentations, articles, reading and film circles, and online encounters. The organization's website hosted a newsletter, a virtual community section, and the Biblioteca Ricardo Armas, a library that featured titles such as Nan Goldin's "I'll Be Your Mirror," a Nelson Garrido volume, and "Matsuda" by Yukio Kobayashi with Jean Saudek. It published interviews, essays and "Píldoras ONG" (ONG Pills) on topics such as pictorialism in painting. The site also highlighted the work of numerous Venezuelan and international artists, including Melanie Vugich, Gabriel Pinto, Hermida Herida, Ezequiel Carías Domínguez, Andrés González, Fabiola Velasco, Irana Douer, Power Paola, Ana Mirabal, Johanna Pérez Daza, Juan Toro Diez and José Vivenes. La ONG operated between 2002 and 2022 in Caracas, Venezuela. After two decades, it ceased its activities in 2022, leaving a legacy as an influential independent cultural hub that nurtured a generation of photographers and visual artists and provided a platform for experimental and marginalized voices.

• 2022

  La ONG ceases operations after two decades.

• 2010

  Gala Garrido becomes director of La ONG.

• 2009

  Nelson Garrido ends his tenure as director.

• 2002

  La ONG founded by Nelson Garrido in Caracas, Venezuela.

A self-managed, independent cultural space operating from dissidence and the margins, focused on poetic terrorism and radical freedom of practice.

• Annual academic program

  A yearly program training photographers and visual artists.

• Three exhibition spaces

  Venues where a dozen exhibitions were inaugurated each year.

• Biblioteca Ricardo Armas

  A public library featuring art and photography books.

• Digital platform

  Online space for international artists, portfolio presentations, articles, reading and film circles, and online encounters.

1. 1La ONGlaong.org
2. 2Nosotros - LaONG | Organización Nelson Garridolaong.org
3. 3La ONG (Nelson Garrido Organization)wikidata.org