BTS leader RM has entered a new creative field by making his debut as a museum co-curator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in California. His exhibition, titled RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me, brings together artworks from his personal collection with works from the museum and explores his relationship with art, Korean culture, identity and personal experiences.
RM, whose real name is Kim Namjoon, attended a press preview at SFMOMA on September 29, ahead of the exhibition’s public opening. Speaking to reporters, he acknowledged that he was nervous because this was his first experience as a museum co-curator. He said that he had not expected his interest in art and collecting to eventually lead him to participate in creating a major museum exhibition.
One of the most personal parts of RM’s speech was his description of how he has felt throughout his life as a global musician. He said that he often feels as though he is always drifting and floating somewhere, whether he is in the United States or in Seoul, where he was born and raised. According to RM, this feeling has not always been pleasant, and he has increasingly relied on art as a way of dealing with those emotions.
RM explained that his connection with art developed over several years. He began visiting museums and encountering different forms of art and eventually became an active collector. Although he enjoys collecting artworks and other objects, he also spoke about having mixed feelings about owning many things. He questioned whether he really needed to possess so many objects and joked about whether he had simply become someone with a large collection. He said that sharing the works with the public gave him a reason to bring his collection into a museum setting.
The collaboration with SFMOMA began while RM was completing his mandatory military service in South Korea. The museum approached him about the project around two years before the exhibition opened. RM said that, at the time, he would have been happy to receive almost any proposal from San Francisco, but the opportunity eventually developed into a much larger creative project.
The exhibition features 142 works from RM’s personal collection along with 36 works from SFMOMA’s collection, bringing the total presentation to 178 works. SFMOMA describes the exhibition as one of its major presentations of Korean modern and contemporary art, with works by Korean artists placed alongside international artists from different periods and backgrounds.
The exhibition includes works connected to artists such as Chang Ucchin, Kim Yun Shin, Park Rehyun and Yun Hyong-keun from RM’s collection. SFMOMA’s holdings add works by internationally recognised artists including Mark Rothko, Yves Klein, Georgia O’Keeffe, Henri Matisse, Agnes Martin, Donald Judd and Nam June Paik. The arrangement is intended to create connections between artists, cultures and ideas rather than present the works as isolated pieces.
The exhibition is organised into different sections that reflect subjects and emotions connected with RM’s interests. The museum says the presentation explores themes involving nature, memory and human existence while also placing Korean and international art in conversation with each other. The project therefore combines RM’s personal perspective with the institutional resources and expertise of SFMOMA.
RM has also contributed directly to the visitor experience. He prepared bilingual wall texts and labels for the artworks and recorded an audio guide in both English and Korean. He also selected music for an in-gallery playlist that accompanies visitors as they move through the exhibition. These elements give visitors an opportunity to understand the works through RM’s personal perspective rather than relying only on traditional museum descriptions.
RM acknowledged that writing descriptions for the artworks was one of the most difficult aspects of the project because he does not come from a formal academic background in art. However, he also suggested that approaching the subject as an outsider could offer a different perspective. SFMOMA co-curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim are working with RM on the exhibition, bringing their professional museum experience to the project.
The exhibition also reflects RM’s interest in Korean history and culture. SFMOMA notes that his collection covers a broad trajectory of Korean art, with modern and contemporary works presented alongside pieces that help trace the development of Korean artistic traditions. RM has spoken about how Korea’s history of colonial rule, war and rapid development has influenced the way he looks at the country’s art and cultural identity.
For RM, the exhibition is not simply a display of artworks that he owns. He described the project as a long introduction to himself, making the exhibition closely connected to his personal interests and experiences. The museum also presents the project as an opportunity to create connections between East and West, Korea and the United States, modern and contemporary art, and personal and universal experiences.
The choice of San Francisco also has a personal element for RM. When asked why the exhibition was being held in the city, he responded that San Francisco is one of the coolest cities in the world. The answer reflected his enthusiasm for the city and the opportunity to present his collection at SFMOMA.
RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me will open to the general public on October 3, 2026, and continue through February 7, 2027. Member previews are scheduled from October 1 to October 3. The exhibition is being presented on the museum’s seventh floor. SFMOMA has also introduced an Encore Pass that provides repeat access during the exhibition period.
The project represents a different side of RM beyond his career as the leader of BTS. Through the exhibition, he is presenting his personal relationship with art while taking on responsibilities associated with museum curation. His comments about feeling as though he is constantly drifting also provide a personal explanation for why art has become an important part of his life.
Rather than presenting the exhibition only as a celebrity collection, SFMOMA has positioned RM’s involvement as a collaborative curatorial project. The combination of his collection, his personal writings and audio guide, and the museum’s own artworks creates a presentation that connects his individual interests with a wider history of modern and contemporary art.
As the exhibition opens to visitors, RM’s first major museum curating project will offer audiences an opportunity to see the artworks that have influenced him and to understand more about the role art has played in his personal and creative journey.
