American Tan showed a contemporary master at the height of his form, with all the seductive colours and shapes for which Hume is renowned, and yet this new body of work is also a remarkable departure for the artist. Dividing his time between studios in London and upstate New York, the series has a unifying theme that developed during his time in America. In an interview with Ulrich Loock, Hume comments that this group of paintings and sculptures represents 'responses to America and how we're all being tanned by American policy and culture, the war and simple, complicated stuff like that. It started off with cheerleaders. The form of them is absolutely fantastic. They're athletic. They're super-gymnasts . . .' From this image of the cheerleader, Hume has created a powerful take on contemporary American culture.