Kim Nam-joon (RM), the leader of South Korean boy band BTS, is one of the most famous collectors of contemporary Korean art today. For several years now, he has shown a special interest in several Korean artists, he studies their works, actively attends exhibitions, and acquires art. A vlog filmed in Kim Nam-joon's apartment showed that the young man surrounds himself with Korean art. Such attention to art caused a flurry of interest from the singer’s fans. Bloggers began making videos explaining what artists Kim Nam-joon prefers. The media publishes articles about the artists Kim Nam-joon “has chosen”. Major South Korean artists who led the artistic process in the second half of the 20th century, such as Yun Hyong-keun, Kim Tschang-yeul, Lee Ufan, etc., received the title “the artist chosen by RM.”

Kim Nam-joon visits exhibitions in galleries and museums, often incognito, but after going to an exhibition he publishes photo reports on his Instagram. These photos automatically attract thousands of fans, so nowadays galleries, private and public museums, opening an exhibition, hope that the young man will pay attention and come to see their exhibition. In 2022, RM was named one of the most influential people in the Korea art. 

It is difficult to find a similar example of the influence of an outsider of the art world on the popularity of art. Kim Nam-joon acts as a popularizer of art, influencer who shapes the tastes of Korean young people and attracts the attention of foreigners to South Korean art. This study poses the following questions: How exactly does Kim Nam-joon influence the popularization of Korean art? What image of Korean art does his interest in art create within Korea and in the world? Can we say that RM's passion leads to rethinking of the meaning of Korean art and the growing popularity of South Korean artists in the world? Could this lead to a more regular request among the singer's fans for Korean art? And will this lead to a “K-Art wave” in the world?

Keywords: Kim Nam-joon (RM), K-arts, Korean art, popularization of art, Korean wave 

References:

Russeth , A. (2022). “RM, Boy Band Superstar, Embraces New Role: Art Patron”. New York Times, 24 August 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/arts/design/rm-bts-band-art-korea.html

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