BTS’ RM makes SFMOMA debut with 140-piece personal collection and self-recorded audio guide

180 Masterpieces, a Boundary-Breaking Curatorial Vision

RM, the leader of global icon 'BTS', is bringing his distinctive artistic eye to a world-renowned museum. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, or 'SFMOMA', will host the special exhibition 'RM X SFMOMA: Between You and Me' from the 3rd of next month through Feb. 7 next year, local time.

It is the first collaboration between SFMOMA and a K-pop artist since the museum was founded. More than a simple exhibition, the project marks a significant moment in which one artist’s long-developed philosophy and deep knowledge of 'contemporary art' are brought into the public sphere.

'RM' led the exhibition from the planning stage through the entire curatorial process. Working closely with SFMOMA co-curators América Castillo and Kim Hyo-eun, he carefully coordinated the flow of the space and the placement of the works. He also selected the music played in the galleries and personally recorded Korean- and English-language audio guides designed to maximize visitors’ immersion, raising the exhibition’s overall finish.

The exhibition features roughly 180 works. About 140 of them come from 'RM'’s personal 'collection', and most are rare works being shown publicly in the United States for the first time. The exhibition focuses on works left by masters of Korean modern and contemporary art, including Yoon Hyung-keun, Park Rae-hyun, Chang Uc-chin, Kwon Ok-yeon, Kim Yoon-shin and Do Sang-bong. Masterpieces from 'SFMOMA'’s collection by Kim Whanki, Nam June Paik, Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse and Georgia O’Keeffe will also be displayed in the same space, creating an artistic dialogue that transcends East and West as well as time periods.

'RM' described the exhibition as “the first opportunity to share my collection under my own name,” adding, “It is rare for anything to reveal a person as honestly as a 'collection' they have built over many years. In that sense, this exhibition will be quite a long self-introduction.”

“My 'collection' includes many works by Korean modern and contemporary artists,” he continued. “Some of their names may still be unfamiliar outside Korea, but this exhibition grew out of the process of collecting with the hope of adding a better perspective and sensibility.”

SFMOMA Director Christopher Bedford said, “This project is perfectly aligned with the museum’s mission to expand global dialogue around art. At the same time that we create space for new voices at the museum, we are inviting visitors who have encountered contemporary and Korean art through 'RM' into new dimensions of art.”

Meanwhile, 'RM' is currently serving his mandatory military duty as an active-duty soldier in the South Korean Army. Despite his hiatus from activities during his military service, his artistic work continues to inspire the global cultural and arts community and exert a powerful influence, reaffirming his unparalleled presence.