What to Know About Visiting RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me 

As a member of global K-Pop sensation BTS, Kim Nam-joon — better known as RM — has been playing sold-out stadiums in front of thousands for years. 

But at the opening of his curatorial debut in the United States, installed in San Francisco’s own SFMOMA, the 32-year-old admitted Tuesday afternoon to an early preview crowd that he was nervous.

“This exhibition is a pretty long introduction of myself,” RM said — adding, with a laugh, “I feel embarrassed, kind of.”

And RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me, which opens to the public on Saturday, is a personal display. The show features 142 works from the BTS bandleader’s own collection, much of it from his own home — amassed over eight years since visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, he said. 

“I still feel like I’m always drifting and floating somewhere, whether I’m in the U.S. or even when I’m in Seoul — where I was born and raised — and it’s not a very pleasant feeling,” he said. “I’ve leaned on art a lot because of that feeling.”

RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me has been in the works for two years, ever since the museum reached out to RM with the concept of an art show — an idea RM said he loved instantly. And when asked “Why San Francisco?” by an audience member at Tuesday’s preview, RM said: “I think that’s not a question, because San Francisco is one of the coolest cities in the world.”

“I liked collecting things ever since I was young, and at the same time, I do feel guilty about it. Do I really need to carry so many unnecessary things that I don’t even need? Have I ended up becoming just a boring, rich snore? Well, maybe,” he said.

“I thought it would be nice if other people could see those as well.”

To BTS ARMY — who turned out at the SFMOMA early preview to represent the fandom — RM’s new exhibit is a major new development in his fine art journey.

As RM told the assembled press about his nerves inside the museum, a large group of fans holding posters waited on the street outside SFMOMA — not just for a glimpse of the singer but excited to eventually interact with the very artworks they’ve caught peeks of in the background of photographs of his home life.

For fans, RM’s love for culture has spawned its own phrase in the fandom: “Namjooning,” meaning an approach to life in a slow, mindful way. Think walking through parks, admiring nature and yes: visiting museums. 

The fandom’s own creativity was on display outside the museum, as BTS Army members handed out bags full of handcrafted “freebies” — a time-honored tradition among fans to trade DIY BTS gifts at concerts and meetups. Inside were colorful fan-made pieces like illustrated postcards, stickers, keychains, zines and even a door hanger that read: “Do Not Disturb: Namjooning In Process.”

Read on to see what KQED learned from the first preview of “Between You and Me” and how you can secure tickets. And be sure to check out KQED’s accompanying guide on Namjooning in the Bay Area, with plenty of events organized by BTS Army.

• Jump straight to: What to know about visiting RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me — and merch

The exhibit starts Saturday and runs through Feb. 7 — and anyone interested should secure their tickets online on SFMOMA’s website as soon as possible. SFMOMA is open Friday through Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Thursday from 12-8 p.m. The museum is closed on Wednesdays.

To see RM x SFMOMA, you’ll need to purchase a General Admission ticket to SFMOMA that specifically includes timed admission to the exhibit. You’ll see this ticket sold as the “RM x SFMOMA + General Admission” option on the SFMOMA website. Be warned that just purchasing a General Admission SFMOMA ticket would not grant you access to the RM exhibit.

A weekday “RM x SFMOMA + General Admission” ticket costs around $40 for adults, $35 for seniors, $33 for students and is free for visitors 18 and under. Weekend tickets are $42 for adults, $37 for seniors, $35 for students and are free for visitors 18 and under. 

Entry to the exhibit is free for SFMOMA members, but they’ll still need to secure a timed ticket online before visiting.

According to SFMOMA, tickets for the first few weekends of RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me are nearly sold out. However, prospective ticket buyers can still find tickets for weekday visits. 

Entries to the exhibit are scheduled, so be sure to arrive at your designated slot on time.

Once purchased, tickets to RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me can’t be transferred, refunded or resold.

RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me is installed on the seventh floor of the SFMOMA building and is spread across several rooms.

Each room is divided into eight themes based on interests and emotions. Visitors enter the exhibition through a “Blue Water” section, which includes the work of Yves Klein and Kim Whanki. The latter is “among the artists I belatedly discovered,” RM writes in SFMOMA’s guide to the exhibit. “Kim was the very first name I fell for.”

Another themed room is simply called, “I don’t know … but I like it,” which features ceramics from Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara. 

“When I look at the piece, it reminds me of the day that I met Nara-san in Seoul,” RM said in his audio guide, available on the SFMOMA website in both English and Korean.

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“Usually, you know, when you go to a gallery opening, they always get these champagnes and nice wines and stuff. But Nara hates it, so he brought some makgeolli. It’s like rice drinks. And he drinks it in a paper cup. I just love that.”

As well as works from RM’s personal collection, the exhibit also contains over 30 pieces from SFMOMA’s own collection. As you immerse yourself in the art, be sure to also read the displays that accompany each work.

Throughout the collection, you’ll find short pieces of commentary by RM about the installation, the background of the artist or how he feels about it. 

According to co-curator Hyoeun Kim, who developed the exhibit with RM, this show represents a rare opportunity for people in America to delve into Korean artists, with works spanning 1,500 years. She added that RM has a special interest in post-war pieces. It’s also SFMOMA’s largest-ever presentation of Korean art — featuring many works that have never been displayed in the United States before. 

Co-curator América Castillo — who described herself as arriving to the museum world “almost by accident” — said that she saw the exhibit as a signal for “this kind of nonconformity,” and as a chance to open the doors for more people and voices.

“One of the most tragic things about the fact that some institutions can feel a bit intimidating for people who have never felt welcomed within them is that art and culture, they can really change people,” Castillo told KQED. 

Looking for a souvenir of your visit? You’ll find the RM x SFMOMA gift shop on the seventh floor next to the exhibit itself,

However, there’s also a gift shop with similar items of RM x SFMOMA merch to purchase on the bottom floor of SFMOMA, located outside the ticket-only areas. This means you don’t have to purchase a museum ticket to enter this lower-level gift shop, which may be of interest for people who are unable to secure a timeslot to see RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me.

If you’re on the hunt for other BTS related merch, at Sports Basement in San Ramon on Sunday, Oct. 4, there will be vendors, a watch party for that night’s Los Angeles concert and freebie trading for BTS fans. The event will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

And if you are looking to partake in a little bit of shopping, you’ll find many K-Pop-themed stores throughout the Bay Area, including: 

• KPOP NARA in San Francisco
• Moonlly Fashion in San Francisco
• K-Pop Nation in Oakland
• 12KST Shop in Concord
• Confetti K-Pop in San Leandro
• Kloud K-Pop in San José