Dr Endedus wearing his great cross of Failure

June Black’s protagonist Dr Endedus raises his hand as if he is offering a blessing to the viewer. Around his neck and shoulders hang various charms and tokens which also make an appearance in the ceramic version of the work. Described as an intellectual Don Qioxote, the Endedus character is central to Black’s metaphorical story that forms the backbone of her artistic practice, summed up by the title of her 1958 exhibition, The

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Search for the Fabulous idea. Black was a maverick artist in 1950s and 60s New Zealand culture. She did not work in the more accepted modes of landscape painting, or ceramic domestic ware, and instead created a metaphorical story with characters inspired by Surrealism, Dada, and Theatre of the Absurd. Despite the offbeat nature of her art, Black enjoyed a cluster of solo exhibitions at leading galleries of the time, including The Architectural Centre Gallery, Wellington, Gallery 91, Christchurch, and New Vision Gallery, Auckland.

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