Back view portrait of my grandfather José Antonio Prado Ruiz (83), nicknamed “Cuatro Tetas” (Four Breasts) by his wife Rosa due to an infidelity she discovered on her own and alluding to the fact that he had “four breasts” on his property. This nickname was inherited by his children and grandchildren, who called him “Papai Cuatro Seios” (Daddy Four Breasts).
In the photograph, we see objects and images belonging to the Prado family, which in turn describe the interiors of the house where they live, as well as this timeless past that remains visually present in everyday life. 2024, Lambayeque, Peru.
Proposal for a diptych where the objective is to communicate the image and the text. On the left side is a letter from Rosa Suclupe Bances, my grandmother and wife of my “Papá Cuatro Tetas” (Four-Breasted Dad), recounting in a letter the origin of the nickname and the abuse she suffered at his hands; on the right side is a damaged and cut-out photograph in which my grandmother is holding hands with a man. This communication of text and image thus proposes the visual wound that my grandmother suffered in her past. 2025, Lambayeque, Peru.
“Four-Breasted Dad” in his wheelchair being caressed by his son Alberto in the living room of his home, showing that despite the abandonment of his father during his childhood, there is affection and respect for him in the final stage of his life. 2023, Lambayeque, Peru.
Photographic diptych: On the left side is a portrait of Rosa, with only part of her face illuminated, making visual contact with the right side through her gaze; there is a digitally altered photograph of a rock being touched by a ray of light. The photograph on the right depicts a male figure, long-lived and reluctant, being touched by a symbol of hope, but at the same time violent, and being contemplated melancholically by a female figure on the left. 2025, Lambayeque, Peru.
Photograph of the interior of the Prado family kitchen in Lambayeque, where I want to show everyday life, but also a setting that was once relegated only to the women in my family; where, through the objects that exist, I want to express this feminine but broken part of the Prados. 2024, Lambayeque, Peru.
Viviana Prado, one of the daughters of “Papá Cuatro Tetas” (Four-Breasted Dad), being massaged on the head by her brother Julio Prado because of a dream she had about her father. In this image, I want to represent the male being covering up the female being in my family, highlighting this wound that continues to exist despite the passage of time as a result of abuse and neglect by my grandfather. 2024, Lambayeque, Peru.
Family archive damaged due to neglect in the maintenance of the photograph, which shows Sinthia, one of the daughters of “Cuatro Tetas,” celebrating her fifteenth birthday, highlighting this wounded and broken memory despite the fact that there were pleasant moments in my family. Personal family archive, year unknown, Lambayeque, Peru.
Intervention in the family photo archive. In the photo, Rosa is being hugged by one of her sons, and on the right is her husband José. In the text superimposed on the photograph, we see that it is by Julio Prado Suclupe, one of Rosa and José’s sons, where he recounts his father’s treatment of him, showing us this contrast of “Papá Cuatro Tetas” (Four-Breasted Dad) and his affection for the male members of his family. This allows us to see these nuances of him in his past as a father. Archive intervention, 2025, Lambayeque, Peru.
Family photo archive of one of the backs of a printed photograph, showing us the not-so-visible silhouette of Rosa, wife of “Cuatro Tetas.” Personal family archive, year unknown, Lambayeque, Peru.
Diptych: in the photograph on the left is the handprint of a child on the wall; next to it is Esmeralda (5), my sister and daughter of Viviana Prado, showing her scar from heart surgery. This dialogue between the images aims to visually represent this wound that was touched and healed in childhood but which has not yet completely healed in my family. 2024, Lambayeque, Peru.
“Four-Breasted Dad” being bathed by one of his children in his room, showing that despite his past mistakes, his family still cares for him. 2023, Lambayeque, Peru.
Photographic intervention in which I show one of the walls of my grandfather “Papá Cuatro Tetas”’s room and a sequence of three photos, with the aim of representing a transition between my grandfather’s life and death. Photographic intervention, 2025, Lambayeque, Peru.
Diptych: On the left side is one of the fragments of a letter from Viviana Prado dedicated to her father when he passed away. On the right side is a photo of one of Viviana’s nieces in her room, representing her loneliness, creating a connection between the image and the text. 2025, Lambayeque, Peru.
Photographic intervention of the sky above one of the beaches of Lambayeque, representing through a visual metaphor my grandfather’s spiritual transition from life to death. Photographic intervention, 2025, Lambayeque, Peru.
Intervention in the Prado Suclupe family photo archive. This photo is cut on the right side, revealing a male silhouette, where you can see a family photo archive and a letter from Sinthia, showing that despite her father’s mistakes, she still loves him. Intervention in the archive, 2025, Lambayeque, Peru.
Diptych: on the left side is a family photo album cut out from “Papá Cuatro Tetas” facing the right side of the second image, which shows one of the scenes from his wake. This diptych aims to further highlight this passage from life to death of my grandfather. 2025, Lambayeque, Peru.
Diptych: Created with the aim of highlighting the female character’s forgiveness of Cuatro Tetas’ past, on the left side is one of the fragments of Viviana’s letter dedicated to him, and on the right side is a photo from Sinthia’s family archive, showing her being held by a man’s hand. This conveys a sense of affection between the text and the image. 2025, Lambayeque, Peru.
Photograph of the Prado family posing next to the grave of Jose “Cuatro Tetas,” showing not only the union between life and death, but also the first time that children, wife, and husband have all been together in a picture after a long time. 2023, Lambayeque, Peru
Portrait I took of my grandfather, whom I called “Papá Cuatro Tetas” (Four-Breasted Dad), where he stared intently at the camera. I knew he was watching me, I knew he was being photographed, I expected him to question or reproach me… but he simply looked at me without saying anything and turned to look outside as if nothing had happened. 2023, Lambayeque, Peru.
“I was the one who gave my husband four breasts because he had another woman, and that’s why I gave him four, because his mistress had two and I had two, so that made four breasts…” Rosa Suclupe Bances
El Tetas is a visual project in which I delve into the past, into the last stage of my maternal grandfather’s life and subsequent death. I use the deteriorated family archive with the aim of highlighting the psyche of my family’s wounded and damaged memory due to my grandfather’s alcoholism, abuse, and neglect. From the three stages of time that I narrate, from recalling my grandfather’s past relationship with my family, combining the photographs I have taken with my family’s photographic archive, I attempt to recreate a memory through feelings of violence and abandonment that my grandfather inflicted on his children and wife. In the final stage, after his death, through my family’s photographic records and writings, I develop feelings of remorse and forgiveness that I wish to express to José Prado with my family.
Taking an internal journey through my family unit in visual terms, El Tetas is a portrait of my grandfather with many different facets. It is my tribute to him, as well as my rediscovery of who my grandfather was… who José Antonio Prado was… who “Papá Cuatro Tetas” was.
