'Kalo Mina' in May welcomes Madame Tricot. She presents Wilgefortis, a female folk saint whose legend arose in the 14th century, and whose distinguishing feature is a large beard. According to the legend of her life, set in Portugal and Galicia, she was a teenage noblewoman who had been promised in marriage by her father to a Moorish king. To hinder the unwanted wedding, she had taken a vow of virginity, and prayed that she would be made repulsive. In answer to her prayers she sprouted a beard, which ended the engagement. In anger, Wilgefortis's father had her crucified.

 

Her name is thought to have derived from the Latin "virgo fortis" (courageous virgin). In England her name was Uncumber (unburden). While adored by some Catholics, Wilgefortis was never officially canonised by the church, but instead was a popular intercessor for people seeking relief from hardship, in particular by women who wished to be liberated from abusive husbands. Wilgefortis has been widely popular in Portugal, Galicia, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, and France.

 

Madame Tricot has discovered and perfected knitting as an art form. As a medical doctor, the line between life and death has always gripped her. She finds the knitting of food particularly appealing, especially meat, which hangs persistently on the edge of life and decay. Madame Tricot/Dominique Kähler, grew up in Paris and lives in Switzerland. Her work has been exhibited in several museums in Switzerland and abroad