SFMOMA And K-Pop Superstar RM Collaborate On New Exhibition 'Between You And Me'

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A rare collaboration between the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and K-pop superstar RM of BTS is bringing more than 100 art pieces to the public for the first time ever.

RM, whose name is Kim Namjoon, is making his curatorial debut with "Between You and Me," a deeply human and personal look at the pop star's art collection. Many of the pieces have never been shown in the U.S. before, and the SFMOMA will be the only venue in the country to give guests a chance to see them, according to Museum Director Chris Bedford.

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Bedford described the exhibition as a landmark event for the museum, marking its largest presentation of Korean art in its 92-year history.

The exhibit spans the museum's seventh floor, with eight rooms that hold a total of 178 pieces, 142 of which are from RM's personal collection. It opens to the public on Oct. 3.

The journey started two years ago, when RM was still carrying out his mandatory enlistment in the South Korean military, he said. SFMOMA reached out to him to gauge his interest in working together on an exhibit.

"Since I was in the military at that time, I would have been happy with any kind of proposal coming from San Francisco," RM said. "But I also thought it could be a good experience before I someday open a space I dream of. I also thought, at a place with this kind of scale and stature, maybe I could borrow someone else's spaces and try something fun."

So the partnership began. Together with co-curators America Castillo and Hyoeun Kim, RM sought to bring his collection to the public. Castillo said each piece was chosen to create a sense of harmony and connect visitors through the human experience.

Kim explained that the exhibition is organized into eight thematic sections based on emotional and intuitive connections rather than traditional art history:

• Blue Water: Focuses on color and material.
• Friendscape: Explores animals and nature.
• Photo Buddha: Focuses on self-reflection.
• People and Passion: Centers on human lives.
• I Don't Know, But I Like It: Explores intuitive responses to art.
• Umber: Features the artist Yun Hyong-Keun.

RM noted that his goal was to share his personal collection as an honest introduction of himself, bridging the gap between being an outsider and an art lover.

In a specific section of the exhibit, serendipity brought a piece from RM's collection, "TV Buddha" by artist Nam June Paik, together with a complementary piece, a drawing of that very piece from the same artist. In the audio guide for the exhibit, RM describes the connection as "a beautiful collaboration."

Castillo said that pairing was one of many fun moments the trio had working on the exhibition, with some things coming together naturally and others being personal choices and passions.

"There were moments where it was like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe we have that and you have that,' definitely serendipity," Castillo told Patch. "There were other moments where it was just fun. We thought, 'I kind of want to see what happens. Let's just let go, and maybe someone will come into the gallery and feel like it was fated for them."

The exhibition runs through February 7, with strong ticket sales already reported for member previews and weekends, but with plenty still available for those who want to come see it.

"It makes me very happy that one person, not from the art world, can make it this far. Please enjoy," RM said.