Drawing from Julie Gladstone’s background as a Jewish-Canadian visual artist, musician and mother, Lullabies in Exile presents reinterpretations of ancient Judaeo-Spanish lullabies that mothers sang to their children during their long walks into exile and escape from persecution. For Julie, this experience runs deep as her own family was exiled from Spain in 1492. The Decree of Expulsion required Jews to convert to Catholicism, be executed or be permanently banished from their country.

As a new mother living through a global pandemic and witnessing the plight of climate refugees around the world, these nostalgic, haunting melodies hold just as much resonance for Julie today. Since many of these lullabies were sung while these women knit, embroidered and sewed, she’s created soft, wearable paintings that can easily be carried in traveller’s bags. They also act as prayer shawls that are meant for resting, feeling grounded and entering into a meditative state. Other elements – stones, keys – are incorporated into the installations, reimagining inherited rituals for today’s context.