‘Between You and Me’ Introduces RM, the Curator
At SFMOMA, the BTS star turns his personal collection into a “sanctuary” of Korean art.
Summary
BTS' RM makes his debut at SFMOMA in a new exhibition, titled 'Between You and Me'
The exhibition, running until February 7, 2027, gathers nearly 200 works, including 145 from RM's collection
The curation focuses on notable figures within Korean modern and contemporary art with lesser-known presences overseas, hoping to bring new appreciation to the selection of paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, and more on view
RM is stepping off the stage and into the museum for what might be his most personal show yet. For years, BTS helped make Korean music a global phenomenon. And now, with his curatorial debut at SFMOMA, its leader hopes to do the same for Korea’s fine artists.
Between You and Me marks the first museum presentation of the rapper’s collection. Co-curated by RM, born Kim Namjoon, alongside SFMOMA’s América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim over the last two years, the showcase entails 145 works from his own collection paired with 45 from the museum’s holdings, hoping to give Korean modernism its flowers overseas.
The show is split up into eight sections: Blue Water, Friendscape, Home, Photo Buddha, People, Passion, Umber, and ‘I don’t know, but I like it.’ Within them you’ll find paintings, sculptures, ceramics, photography, and calligraphy, many of which are making their stateside debut — everything from a centuries-old vase to an early Pikachu animation cell.
Throughout his career, RM has been outspoken about his particular appreciation for post-war art in Korea and the resilience of artists who persisted with their craft through the colonial period, rapid redevelopment, and political turmoil. Some of the artists from his own collection include Kim Whan-ki, Chang Ucchin, Kim Yun Shin, Kwon Jinkyu, Kwon Okyon, Park Rehyun, To Sangbong, and more.
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Among the highlights is RM’s over-dozen trove of paintings by Yun Hyong-keun, the Dansaekhwa pioneer. One of them is mounted beside the prized “No. 14” (1980) by Mark Rothko. “Yun is often introduced as ‘the Korean Rothko’ — a convenient shorthand for an unfamiliar name,” RM wrote in the wall text. “But I didn’t want to leave Yun in anyone’s shadow. So I hung the two side by side.” Yun also inspired the opening track for RM’s debut solo album, Indigo Blue, thought to be the first K-pop song dedicated to a Korean painter.
Interspersed throughout the exhibition are pieces by Donald Judd, Yves Klein, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Nam June Paik, among others hailing from the SFMOMA collection, curated to highlight thematic thresholds, like East and West, personal and universal, and cross-generational dialogue. The musician also hand-wrote the section titles and voiced audio guides in both Korean and English to take the personal touches one step further.
He first caught the collecting bug after a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago during BTS’ 2018 tour, which sparked a deeper interest in Korean art history. Since then, he’s become a prominent advocate for art — what ARMY calls “Namjoon-ing.” He was named the National Museum of Korea’s first global ambassador and recently donated more than $70,000 toward artifact acquisitions. In 2023, he also lent six works by Chang Ucchin to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
“I think few things reveal a person as honestly as a collection they have built over a long period,” the rapper and BTS leader said ahead of the show’s opening. “In that sense, this exhibition will be quite a long self-introduction.”
Between You and Me is now on view in San Francisco until February 7, 2027. Can’t make it? SFMOMA is also offering an exhibition merch collection featuring apparel, accessories, ceramics, posters, journals, notebooks, and a zine for preorder through its online store.
