Metal is an element usually associated with toughness and durability. It has the ability to withstand severe (weather) conditions; hence, it is regarded as one of the major industrial materials. However, when exposed to moist and oxidation, metal's toughness vanishes and rusting occurs. And this causes the gradual but extensive dilapidation of a supposedly indestructible matter.

Contrary to popular belief, tetanus or lockjaw is not an ailment caused by rusty metals. It is actually a disease caused by a germ which forms spores and grows best where there is very little oxygen (Shryock, 1990). Rust lying on metal surfaces only serves as breeding ground for germs. But then these germs could penetrate through the wound, and in effect, one could suffer from mild infection to death.

In his fifth one-man art exhibition entitled Tetano, Carlo Gernale explores the aforementioned idea, the other facet of metal - its deterioration, decay, and irony. Gernale contemplates on the idea that toughness ends where a little rusting begins - much like what currently happens in Philippine society.

Gernale obtains inspiration from corroded roofing materials, decaying sheet metals, and rusted iron. He embeds the idea into the process called airbrush painting to create permanent rust (permanenteng pagkasira), to signify the permanence of corrosion of Philippine society, as the result of a decaying political system. ?