{"id":483297,"date":"2026-10-03T00:12:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T00:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/483297\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T00:12:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T00:12:12","slug":"namjooning-in-the-bay-area-a-bts-army-guide-as-rm-x-sfmoma-opens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/483297\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Namjooning\u2019 in the Bay Area: A BTS ARMY Guide, as RM x SFMOMA Opens"},"content":{"rendered":"

RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me<\/a>, a new exhibit co-curated by BTS bandleader Kim Nam-joon (better known as RM) opens Saturday at San Francisco\u2019s SFMOMA<\/a>, presenting almost 150 works from the singer\u2019s personal art collection.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the next chapter in the singer\u2019s relationship with visual art that the BTS ARMY fandom has been eagerly following \u2014 and been inspired by \u2014 for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As RM hosted a preview of the exhibit on Tuesday, a group of fans stood outside the side entrance of the SFMOMA \u2014 eager not only\u00a0to see the singer himself, but for the chance to actually interact with the very artworks they\u2019ve until now only caught glimpses of in the background of photographs of RM\u2019s home life.<\/p>\n

A group of fans handed out bags full of \u201cfreebies\u201d \u2014 a time-honored creative tradition among BTS fans, trading and gifting out DIY BTS tchotchkes at concerts and meetups. Inside were colorful, cute fan-made pieces including illustrated postcards, stickers, keychains, zines and even a door hanger that read: \u201cDo Not Disturb: Namjooning In Process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"BTS fan freebies photographed on Oct. 2, 2026. Fans often give out handmade items as freebies to fellow fans. Freebies are \u201ca huge part of our culture,\u201d said Heather Gioia of Dublin. \u201cTo us, they\u2019re little treasures.\u201d<\/p>\n

RM became known for his love of the arts within the BTS fandom as the singer began to publicly document his rising curiosity in museums, after a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago eight years ago. Now, the word \u201cNamjooning\u201d means taking a cue from RM and approaching life in a slow, mindful way: Think walking through parks, admiring nature and viewing artwork in museums.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While accounts of the word\u2019s exact origins differ, one story comes from the man himself in 2019. When asked by a fan about his vacation plans on Weverse, a K-Pop social media platform, RM\u2019s reply was: \u201cI\u2019m namjooning<\/a>.\u201d But the definition of the phrase and its evolution is all BTS ARMY.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Namjooning wherever I go,\u201d Jessica Denis of San Francisco, one BTS fan outside SFMOMA, said. As an existing SFMOMA member, Denis said she was excited to get to know the collector side of her bias (meaning: her favorite member of BTS).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt brings you a sort of connection \u2014 in a way \u2014 to him,\u201d Denis said.<\/p>\n

\nNamjooning in the Bay Area\n<\/p>\n

The local fandom already intends to embrace Namjooning to its fullest extent during the SFMOMA exhibit\u2019s run. For example, there\u2019s the Namjooning Collective<\/a>, a group coordinating and tracking multiple BTS-related events here in the Bay Area \u2014 many of them related to art, literature and nature.<\/p>\n

One of the fans involved is Thanya Suwansawad of Albany. She said the idea for the Collective started in a Facebook group as people shared ideas to mark RM\u2019s arrival in the region. And then, as happens when ARMYs get together, things started moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all want to come together,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes we can be really unserious as a fan base, but then sometimes people get really passionate about their ideas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBTS doesn\u2019t really have to be around for ARMYs to entertain themselves,\u201d said Jamila Hyatt of Daly City, who also helped with the Collective. \u201cARMYs love being with other ARMYS.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"BTS fan freebies photographed on Oct. 2, 2026. BTS is a K-pop group, and fans often give out handmade items as freebies to fellow fans. Freebies are \u201ca huge part of our culture,\u201d said Heather Gioia of Dublin. \u201cTo us, they\u2019re little treasures.\u201d\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cI also love that this is also an opportunity that we get to introduce ARMYs all over the world to San Francisco,\u201d Hyatt said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Namjooning is even the basis of a course being taught this semester at Stanford University by James R. Jacobs, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.<\/p>\n

After the announcement of SFMOMA\u2019s exhibit and BTS\u2019s performance on the Stanford campus,<\/a> \u201call of a sudden it just kind of came together in my mind that I could take advantage of the moment of BTS\u2019s presence in the Bay Area and combine that with wellness,\u201d Jacobs said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The class takes aspects of Namjooning \u2014 such as visiting museums and reading books favored by RM, like Han Kang\u2019s Human Acts \u2014 and pairs it with what Jacobs called \u201ca component of quantitative reason.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s gonna argue with the potential benefits of going to a museum? But is there any data to support that is actually good for you?\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the fact is that there is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"BTS fan freebies photographed on Oct. 2, 2026. BTS is a K-pop group, and fans often give out handmade items as freebies to fellow fans. Freebies are \u201ca huge part of our culture,\u201d said Heather Gioia of Dublin. \u201cTo us, they\u2019re little treasures.\u201d\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

Jacobs pointed to a U.K. study conducted by researchers at King\u2019s College London<\/a> showing that the physiological effects on heart rate and cortisol levels \u201care much more dramatically improved if you go to an exhibit and look at a piece of art in person, compared to watching that same piece of art in a book or on a digital format\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch has been written and said about the dangers in our current society of being tied to our phones,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m encouraged and impressed that BTS fandom would embrace aspects of Namjooning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

From RM-inspired art shows to places to read in parks and open spaces, keep reading for ideas for how to enjoy some Namjooning of your own around the Bay Area right now.<\/p>\n

\nVisit the \u2018RM: Triptych\u2019 exhibit\n<\/p>\n

Yvette Wohn of New York, who goes by Kiru in art spaces, is the curator of this\u00a0RM-inspired San Francisco exhibit that explores the idol as a performer and as an observer of art. The exhibit is only running for a few days through Sunday, Oct. 4 at the Little Raven Gallery<\/a> near the SFMOMA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really focused on artwork that is less about a literal depiction of his face, and more reflects the artist\u2019s own emotions,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I was selecting artwork for this exhibit, I tried to focus on artists who had their own distinctive style.\u201d<\/p>\n

It gave Wohn the idea that fan art could be a bridge between the fine art world and people who haven\u2019t yet had the chance to interact with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the majority of people, art is a very difficult and privileged domain that many people would not consider engaging in,\u201d Wohn said. \u201cWhen people are talking about Namjooning, I think RM has played a very major role in also lowering that barrier.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some ways I feel like art is the most universal of languages,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\nSee BTS fan exhibits at the San Francisco Public Library\n<\/p>\n

Hyatt, one of the Namjooning Collective organizers, is by day a library assistant at SFPL where she\u2019s now coordinated two BTS fan exhibits\u00a0\u2014 both on public display until January.<\/p>\n

Hyatt said the Collective initially made the callout for submissions and received up to 300 entries from all over the world, from India and Poland to the United Kingdom and Ukraine.<\/p>\n

The response was so positive that it led to these two exhibits: A collection of portraits of BTS \u201cthrough ARMYs\u2019 eyes\u201d at the Western Addition SFPL branch<\/a> and art at the Main Branch inspired by the release album Arirang<\/a>, which is also the name of a traditional Korean folk song.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Main Branch\u2019s display includes bright and bold graphic prints, intricate watercolors and physical vinyl album covers painted by fans. Several of these also represent their artists\u2019 culture, said Hyatt, pointing to a cover sporting mehndi designs sent by a woman from India.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is very real in our world of ARMY in the circle, but it doesn\u2019t feel a lot of times that that realness escapes that,\u201d Hyatt said. \u201c<\/p>\n

To have it seen in the library, in a place like San Francisco, seeing it put in a physical place, it\u2019s really, \u2018Oh, you see what we\u2019re about.\u2019 \u2018This is real, and thank you.\u2019 It\u2019s acknowledgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nCatch \u2018Ride the Hallyu Wave\u2019 at SFPL\n<\/p>\n

SFPL also has more programming until Jan. 31 called \u201cRide the Hallyu Wave,\u201d dedicated to celebrating Korean art and culture. In fact, this year marks the 50th anniversary of San Francisco and Seoul becoming sister cities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more about these SFPL events <\/a>exploring the Korean language, dance, film, art and local history and immigration to the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

\nDive into the STURDY BRIDGE Art Skool\n<\/p>\n

This free online school<\/a> from Larkspur BTS fan Tida Beattie promises \u201ca beginner-friendly fan guide to the artists, histories, and questions surrounding RM x SFMOMA.\u201d Along with the online materials<\/a>, there\u2019s an in-person opportunity<\/a> at the San Francisco Public Library on Nov. 7 to learn about artists Yves Klein Blue and Kwon Okyun Grey.<\/p>\n

Beattie said that STURDY BRIDGE\u2019s name is inspired by RM\u2019s own words<\/a> when announcing the SFMOMA exhibit: \u201cMy only hope is that this exhibition can be a small but sturdy bridge for many.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so struck by that turn of phrase,\u201d said Beattie, who described her creation of this beginner\u2019s art school as a way for fans to \u201cmeet his collection with thoughtfulness and intention, and not necessarily walk into the exhibit just kind of cold.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nCheck out Oakland\u2019s BTS murals\n<\/p>\n

The organizers behind the Namjoon Collective recommend you check out a series of BTS-inspired murals for fans in Oakland, including:<\/p>\n

\nEnjoy these San Francisco bookstores and parks\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

For those hoping to indulge in the nature and literary side of Namjooning, KQED has a thorough guide to the best literary spots<\/a> in the Bay Area, featuring some of San Francisco\u2019s best bookstores within walking distance of Golden Gate Park that include:<\/p>\n

In case you\u2019re hoping to grab a group of friends to recreate BTS\u2019s own photo opp in front of the Golden Gate Bridge<\/a>, keep in mind that Golden Gate Park is not super walkable from the Golden Gate Bridge \u2014 and is more like a 10-minute drive.<\/p>\n

Check out the full list of San Francisco bookstores near the city\u2019s parks.<\/a><\/p>\n

\nVisit the Bay Area\u2019s K-Pop stores\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Not quite Namjooning but still very relevant for fans: At Sports Basement in San Ramon on Sunday, Oct. 4, there\u2019ll be vendors, a watch party for that night\u2019s Los Angeles concert and freebie trading<\/a> for BTS fans. The event will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And if you are looking to partake in a little bit of shopping, there are a lot of K-Pop-themed stores throughout the Bay Area, including:\u00a0<\/p>\n