Paternity Ratio by Giulio Favotto

Paternity Ratio explores the author’s unexpected path to fatherhood, discovered during an independent pregnancy. Through images and scans, the book reflects on the space between biological ties and the conscious experience of becoming a parent.

Athens Photo book award 2024
Book Award, Shortlist

Premio Bibbiena Fotografia Italiana 2024
Shortlist

Photo|Frome Photobook Award 2025
Shortlist

(r)=p(G/H1)/p(G/H0)= X/Y

“The examination of genetic markers within the free fetal DNA (cfDNA) extracted from the expectant woman’s blood sample and the DNA isolated from the sample named ALLEGED FATHER reveals genetic COMPATIBILITY, supporting hypotheses of paternity”.

The union of XX and XY had resulted in XX expecting little h, but XX and XY were not a couple. XX then decided to give birth to little h independently. Around the fifth month of pregnancy, I discovered that I was XY.
Little h was born, but I had no control over that decision.

PATERNITY RATIO (r) is the formula indicating the ratio between the probability of being a father and the probability of not being a father.
As Jacques Lacan, the French psychoanalyst, used to say, however, “paternity is always an adoption”, meaning that biology – on its own – is not a sufficient condition to live a conscious paternity, not even in the families we define as such. This work, a synthesis of love and ratio, helped me to embrace the revolution I was experiencing.

Words by Giulio Favotto