"Namjooning" is a term coined by Kim Namjoon (more famously known as RM, the rapper and leader of Korean juggernaut band BTS) to describe how he spends his time away from the spotlight – by reading books, going to museums and connecting with nature. Fans quickly adopted the verb to their daily lives and it even became an entry in Urban Dictionary. Visiting the newly opened RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (currently on view until February 7, 2027), which showcases 142 pieces from the global superstar’s private collection, is “namjooning” at its peak.

It’s SFMOMA’s hottest exhibit this year. The unique collaboration is a clever way to activate BTS’s loyal fanbase and the solution to a problem museums everywhere face: how to increase patronage and introduce art to new audiences. Member previews for the exhibit (Oct 1-3) sold out as soon as tickets were released (tickets for the show’s first two weeks also sold out, snapped up when sales opened to the general public). To access presale tickets and see the show before it opened on October 3, people had to first become SFMOMA members (with individual memberships starting at $130). Record-breaking numbers joined with some saying they are not regular museum goers or have even visited a museum.

Margaret is from Vancouver, Canada and calls herself Army (which is what the BTS fandom is called and rightfully so because millions have passionately enlisted). She became an SFMOMA member even though she has never been to San Francisco and has not visited a museum since she went for a high school field trip decades ago. Like many, including myself, she found BTS during the pandemic. In her mid-40s, she quietly admitted that she does not have children, so she freely spends her disposable income to travel across the globe (from Seoul to Las Vegas) to see her favorite band perform. Theresa, from nearby Alameda, only started following BTS six months ago after they released their current album Arirang, the band's first album since the members took a two-year hiatus to fulfill mandatory military service. She confessed that she, her husband and four-year old daughter flew to Paris to see BTS a few months ago because they could not get tickets for the three sold-out Bay Area shows at Stanford Stadium. While some exhibition souvenirs sold out on the first day, both these Armys managed to secure the coveted $155 hooded sweatshirts after waiting 90 minutes.

Army is used to queuing for BTS, often entertaining themselves by getting to know the likeminded devotees around them. In a tradition adopted from Korean concert-goers, many fans break the ice by sharing handmade freebies (like the bracelet that newly-minted BTS admirer Theresa made or the foldout purple fan that another Army thoughfully gave to people waiting in 85-degree heat outside the gift store), showcasing how creative and generous the fanbase is.

The accompanying audio guide for the exhibit was recorded by the 32-year-old, multilingual singer/songwriter in English and Korean in two separate sessions and not merely translated. Listening to it with headphones while walking through the exhibit is like an intimate hangout with a close friend. “Joon,” as he warmly invites visitors to call him in the preface, speaks casually in a candid, unscripted manner, occasionally giggling or chuckling at his explanations or criticizing himself for forgetting how to say bedroom in English.

Joon's collection features a wide range of genres – from whimsical wooden ducks from the Joseon Dynasty to meditative monochrome art from the politically oppressive 1970s in Korean. Divided into eight galleries, including one called I don’t know, but I like it that has an eclectic mix of stuff he simply loves without explanation (like a Pokémon animation cel and a rock with the word CANDY carved into it), the exhibit is the largest showing of Korean art ever presented in the US and not to be missed.