The photograph titled It Always Rains on Veronica is from a series taken at the international archery competition Veronica's Cup in Kamnik in 2025. The work of the photographer Mira Hrkalović intertwines the banal with the transcendent in the manner of contemporary documentary, which goes beyond merely recording an event. In a scene where arrows stubbornly protrude from the targets in their resistance to the force of gravity and the mass of raindrops, Miro subtly includes a single umbrella. Closed and slightly tilted, a silent symbol of the absurd and at the same time a banal reflection of everyday reality. This interaction between the rigor of a sporting discipline and the almost comical everydayness opens up space for reflection on illusion and reality, structure and chaos, joy and sadness. Just as Magritte's taps are not taps, this umbrella is not just protection from the rain, but becomes an emblem of the inner irony of the event.
In doing so, the author perhaps unintentionally enters into a dialogue with Alanis Morissette and her song Ironic, in which all the aforementioned “ironic” events are actually just unfortunate coincidences. The photograph follows this logic and at the same time goes beyond it – it is not ironic that it is raining on Veronika, since this is a late spring event in Gorenjska; but perhaps it is precisely this expected rain that, in its predictability, acquires a new layer of meaning, almost Zen-like. Just as Morissette’s song unintentionally exposes a superficial understanding of irony, this photograph, with its apparent anecdotal nature, leads us to reflect on deeper layers of representation: on how even the most trivial elements (umbrella, precipitation, sport) can carry the burden of artistic expression.
The photo of the month for May 2025 was chosen by the members present at the club meeting. You can see all the participating photos at this address.
