Kungfu, karate, capoeira, kickboxing, pencak silat, kendō, nguni stick fighting and other martial arts from around the world

From May 31, 2024, you can enjoy the power and beauty of martial arts in the Martial Arts exhibition in the Wereldmuseum, but also discover the traditions and stories behind the sport: personal motivations and the broader historical and social backgrounds. The visitor steps into the ring himself and can punch, kick, imitate the movements of Chinese grandmasters and enter into a duel.

The exhibition focuses on 15 martial arts: boxing, capoeira, fighting Cholitas and lucha libra show wrestling, taekwondo, kalaripayattu, karate, kendō, kickboxing, kung fu, māu rākau, muay thai, nguni stick fighting, pencak silat, zurkhaneh wrestling.

Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting
For hundreds of millions of people worldwide, martial arts are an integral part of life. Martial artists are constantly competing. First of all with himself. The goal of that struggle is personal growth, both physical and spiritual, to bring the body and mind into balance. This prepares you for the challenges that life can throw at you. Whether it concerns violence, setbacks, stress or uncertainty. A fight also has an intrinsic appeal: the excitement of a one-on-one showdown, all alone in the ring or on the mat, without backup. Or the beauty of perfectly executed movements, graceful but inevitable.

Training: get better, be the best, win
Training the body is the basis of all martial arts. Getting stronger, fitter, faster, more precise – getting better. Pushing boundaries, rising above yourself. Training the mind is just as important. The first opponent you have to overcome is yourself. Inner peace, more self-confidence and less stress are important motivations for people to take up martial arts. And many martial arts are connected to religion, spirituality and philosophy. Hinduism is essential in the ancient Indian martial art of kalaripayattu, and Buddhism and Taoism are very important in Chinese kung fu.

Martial arts are also celebrated for their aesthetic value: a good fight as choreography. Fight films show the beauty, speed and technique of martial arts to a worldwide audience like no other medium. The most beautiful scenes from the best fighting films have been brought together for this exhibition in a compilation, with Bruce Lee in a leading role.

Community: A fight is bigger than yourself
But martial arts are not just about the individual, as the exhibition shows. People also practice martial arts for a sense of belonging, community and identity, or to engage in resistance. For example, the visitor is introduced to kickboxing gyms, which play an important role in youth work and community development. And with fighting techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation.

May 31, 2024 to August 31, 2025, Martial Arts, Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, Linnaeusstraat 2