NTB Museum begins preparing exhibition layout for MotoGP Mandalika 2026

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) State Museum is finalising preparations for a cultural exhibition titled “Speed, Energy, and Connection,” which will be held alongside the MotoGP Mandalika international racing event from 9–11 October 2026.

Raden Heru, Head of Services and Education at the NTB Museum, stated in Mataram on Monday that exhibition preparations have now entered the stage of material compilation and spatial arrangement within the Mandalika Circuit area.

“At this stage, we have compiled the exhibition materials and measured the layout to display the collections for the upcoming exhibition,” he said.

Heru explained that spatial arrangement is a vital component of the exhibition, as the displayed collections are not merely placed as objects but must be interconnected to form a cohesive narrative. The NTB Museum intends for every item to relate to others, allowing visitors to follow the story constructed within the exhibition.

While the location for the exhibition of these historically and culturally significant artefacts remains the same as last year, the NTB Museum will not be sharing the space with other participants this time. “The venue remains the same as last year. However, there are no other participants this year as there were previously, allowing the spatial arrangement to focus more intensely on the exhibition theme,” he added.

Gunarti noted that the museum is also preparing various supporting materials, including brochures and leaflets, while the physical arrangement of the exhibition space is scheduled to begin on 8 October 2026.

The NTB Museum will bring 10 collections to be exhibited during the MotoGP Mandalika event, including Wayang Jayengrana, Wayang Sekardiyu, Jayengrana Lontar manuscripts, Lombok Songket cloth with horse motifs, Kemalik cloth with Jayengrana and Munigarim motifs, Nyongkolan paintings, photos of the Arakan Jaran Kamput procession, two pairs of Jaran Kamput, and Cale or Kacip Pinang with horse motifs.

Gusti Ayu, a Senior Cultural Officer at the NTB Museum, stated that these 10 collections are organised into three sub-themes derived from the main theme: Speed, Energy, and Connection.

These three sub-themes are used to build a narrative regarding Sekardiyu as a cultural work related to movement, strength, heroism, and the relationship between humans and tradition.

The Head of the NTB Museum, Ahmad Nuralam, said the three themes were intentionally designed to merge the context of MotoGP with the cultural richness of NTB within a single exhibition space. While MotoGP represents speed, energy, and technological dynamics on the track, the mythological Sekardiyu creature brings stories of movement, strength, journeys, and the connection between humans and tradition.

Nuralam emphasised that the convergence of these two contexts is part of the NTB Museum’s effort to invite MotoGP visitors to observe how the people of NTB interpret movement, strength, energy, and connectivity within their cultural life.