BAVO was founded in 2004 by Gideon Boie and Matthias Pauwels who investigate in their work the political dimension of art, architecture and planning. Expressing their discontent with contemporary architectural theory and practice, they are working to highlight architecture's symptomatic function within socio-political struggles.

This takes the form of books, essays, research and presentations which are based on material from the built environment, architectural information, events, political and legislative texts.

Projects include 'Third Way Urbanism, an ideology critical approach' and 'The spectre of the avant-garde' (both funded by the Jan van Eyck Academie), 'Did somebody say 'heroic realism'? An ideology critical intervention in the (mis)use of a notion', 'Euregional Forum', 'The 10 Commandments of regional planning', 'Retro-socialism in the contemporary European city', 'The late capitalist city and its discontents' and 'Cities Inc.'.

BAVO, Cultural Activism Today: The Art of Over-Identification. (Rotterdam: Episode publishers, 2007).

BAVO, Urban Politics Now: Re-Imagining Democracy in the Neoliberal City, (Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2007).