Martial Arts Exhibition Bridges Sport and Culture in Antwerp's MAS Museum

Key facts

• The Martial Arts exhibition at MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) in Antwerp was adapted from a show originally developed by the Wereldmuseum in Amsterdam.
• The exhibition was enhanced with local content to tell the story of Antwerp's own martial arts heritage, which had never been documented before.
• The project is a collaboration between the city's culture and sports departments, with key figures Hélène De Pagie (MAS), Rachid Atia (Heritage Lab), and Jamal Touala (Sporting A).
• Antwerp is home to 120 martial arts clubs, and the sports department's prior work on martial arts policy facilitated club participation.
• An open sport floor on the museum's eighth floor allows visitors to borrow boxing gloves and kicking pads, and clubs can coordinate training sessions.
• One club has already held a training session, and four more have requested to use the open mats.
• The public programme includes Sunday demonstrations, school initiations, a festival with SPARK, a participatory project with RechtTop, and a congress with the Vechtsport Platform.
• Low-key activities were successful, while lectures and movement workshops struggled to find an audience.
• The exhibition has attracted new audiences of martial artists and sportspeople, and regular visitors have gained new insights into martial arts.
• The speakers presented at the Digital Exhibitions Summit in July 2026.