Simulacrum and Relics: Masakatsu Sashie and Levalet at Dorothy Circus

Dorothy Circus Gallery brings together Japanese painter Masakatsu Sashie and French street artist Levalet. Two artists whose work approaches differ sharply. One floating above the world, the other grounded in it. They each explore the stories embedded in the objects and spaces surrounding us.

Masakatsu Sashie: The Afterlife of Objects

In Simulacrum, Sashie expands his long-running series of floating spheres. Intricate orbs suspended over stark, abandoned landscapes. Each sphere is a tightly packed universe of consumer debris. Plastic bottles, circuit boards, packaging scraps and brand fragments rendered with extraordinary attention to detail. What should read as refuse becomes strangely precious.

The landscapes below are silent. Empty parking lots, stripped industrial sites, horizons without any sign of human activity. Against this stillness, the glowing spheres feel like relics from a future archaeology. Hovering monuments to habits and desires we’ve long left behind.

Sashie’s newer works feel more open and contemplative. With fewer distractions, the spheres take on a near-iconic presence. Their isolation echoing the growing distance between people and the ever-accelerating cycle of consumption.

Levalet: Theatre in the Everyday

Levalet’s Relics brings us firmly back to street level. Perhaps best known for his life-sized pasted figures across Paris. He presents his recurring protagonist, an anonymous everyman. Often caught in moments that blend humour, theatre and gentle absurdity.

Each scene is built from found materials. Saw blades transformed into forests, old palettes forming makeshift terrain, reclaimed objects becoming fragile structures. These elements don’t just frame the figure, they interact with him, restricting or guiding his movements. The result is a playful yet thoughtful look at how we navigate the clutter and contradictions of daily life.

A Conversation Between Stillness and Struggle

Seen together, Sashie and Levalet explore two sides of the same question. Sashie looks at the world after us, where only objects remain. Levalet focuses on the human effort of living among them. One drifts, the other wrestles, but both reveal the quiet power of what we leave behind.

Simulacrum and Relics is a double exhibition taking place at the Dorothy Circus Gallery in Rome. It features work from artists Masakatsu Sashie and Levalet and runs from 21 November to 15 December 2025.

For more Inspiring City articles you will like, take a look at:

• Let’s Get Lost Exhibition from Levalet in London
• Alex Face paints murals across London and Chelmsford
• Jo Peel and the Art of a Changing City
• Gokcen Yuksek the Pop Surrealist Artist from London