Manny Prieres has been a mainstay in the Miami art scene for over ten years now, with a good portion of that time dedicated to having founded and run the early and influential alternative art space, The BOX, alongside Jose Reyes and Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova.

His latest solo show, which opens this Saturday at Spinello Gallery, is titled What We Do Is Secret, and takes its namesake from the song by legendary punk group, The Germs. Prieres’ work in the past has usually dealt with themes of underground youth culture, but this current show, however, deals with more personal subject matter.

The show consists mainly of works of graphite and watercolor on paper, and sculpture, with which Prieres digs deep into his Cuban-American ancestry, recontextualizing and reappropriating past personal symbols and icons into a visual tradition akin to that of a family’s oral history.

Think of an image as iconic as a cross, and how its meaning and presentation has morphed and shifted throughout the ages. Prieres tries to create a similar visual mythology on a more private and individual level using emblems, such as the machete, nearer and dearer to his familial experience. What you’re left with is a collection of seemingly modern post-industrial folk artifacts, each clouded with a sense of mystery.

Spinello Gallery: 151 NE 38 St, Miami; 786-271-4223; spinellogallery.com