The American Devolution

When U.S. Marine Jason Santa Maria returned to Iraq for a second tour of duty, his brother Chris “felt that the chance of losing him or of him getting hurt had increased tenfold. I’m used to being able to protect him.” Fraternal anxiety led to a bonding haircut: “I had them give me a high-and-tight, and I just stopped shaving and stopped cutting my hair for the duration of his tour.” Chris Santa Maria documented the waiting in his “Semper Fidelis” exhibit, a series of self-portraits. As the artist’s hair grows, pieces of a Marine dress uniform peel off, revealing nature’s own camo in gradations of color on vulnerable human skin.