"RM is truly an artist": Fans cheer as BTS' Namjoon becomes part of the exhibition ‘Icon, Light and Narrative’ by artist Lee Dongjae at Peyto Gallery

On January 27, 2024, BTS leader Kim Namjoon, known widely by his stage name RM, made waves on the internet. The Wild Flower rapper-songwriter gained attention for being featured in the esteemed exhibition Icon, Light and Narrative by renowned artist Lee Dong-jae at Peyto Gallery in South Korea. Sports Seoul reported on January 25 that the artist included Namjoon's track Voice from his debut mixtape in his latest exhibition.

The BTS ARMYs were moved by this grand gesture where an esteemed artist acknowledged the BTS leader and his work, knowing Namjoon's admiration for contemporary art and its world all too well. One fan wrote on X:

For the unversed, Lee Dong-jae, born in 1971, is a painter and artist from South Korea. He is renowned for utilizing found things, such as rice grains, as pixels to create his artwork. A few of his world-acclaimed pieces are the Text, textured - The Maha Prajna Paramita (2016) and Icon - Macau (2015), among others.

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"A really emotional song that tells his story": Fans swell with pride as Namjoon's Voice gets included in the exhibition

Namjoon addressed his detractors, thought back on his uncertainties and fears, and demonstrated his self-belief in his debut mixtape, RM, released on March 20, 2015. At the age of 21, he wrote and produced his first mixtape with an identical name to his stage persona, RM. The title track, Voice, from the mixtape, narrates the tale of his life as a studious and diligent school topper who had a hidden dream to be a singer one day.

The song recounts the story of how Namjoon used to rap and write songs and hid them from his parents since they wished him to be a top student and pursue chemical engineering later in his life. However, his mother discovers his hidden wish and passion for the music world, and after several conflicts, she gifts him a PG48 microphone that cost about $45 back in the day.

With a simple piano loop playing in the background, the artist's voice conveys his intense passion and agony, which eventually turn into his unwavering will to fulfill his ambitions. Voice is an underrated song that Namjoon created in an effort to give voice to his passion and ambitions in a world where students' dreams have been crushed by competitiveness and the need to get the best grades, which has damaged the educational system.

Artist Lee Dong-jae, who frequently creates works on the topic of symbols, showcased his solo work in an exhibition titled Icons, Light and Narrative at the Peyto Gallery in Jung-gu, Seoul, on January 25. As the title suggests, this presentation deftly combines the art of iconography, light, and narrative.

Painter and artist Lee Dong-jae has been working on the Icon series for more than 20 years, and music iconologizing is another recent endeavor. He told Sports Seoul on January 25 that the song Voice, which was composed by BTS RM, was swapped out for Crystal and put side by side as a painting. He continued that several BTS ARMYs attended the exhibition and spent time admiring the particular art piece.

Lee Dong-jae mentioned that RM penned the song Voice in his early years, and he really told the tale of his development as though he were keeping a journal. He stated that he believed it to contain RM's identity, which is why the artist positioned it next to Namjoon, aka RM's, facial painting. Lee Dong-jae told Sports Seoul:

"It’s a song called ‘Voice’ that RM wrote in his early days, and he honestly wrote the story of his growth as if he were writing a diary. I placed it side by side with RM’s face work because I thought it contained RM’s identity."

BTS ARMYs went to X and shared their thoughts as they took pride in Namjoon being acknowledged as one of the icons whose name would echo through several generations that are yet to come.

RM, the debut mixtape released by BTS RM in 2015, features several other underrated gems. With its repetitive sounds, the song Do You focuses on the central theme and encourages listeners to live independent lives free from social pressures. The song Awakening delves into RM's inner turmoil with his dual identity as an "idol" and an "artist."

Later, in his song Monster—which bore the same moniker as his old stage persona Rap Monster (RM)—he responds to his detractors, and in Throw Away, he demands that his listeners give up their bias and prejudice. Namjoon officially adopted his stage name RM from Rap Monster in November 2023, which was previously used as the abbreviation of Rap Monster.

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Meanwhile, BTS leader RM is serving his mandatory military service of 18 months and is anticipated to be discharged in June 2025.