Warwick Purser

Designer and entrepreneur WARWICK PURSER is no longer “one of them”; he gained Indonesian citizenship last year thanks to a presidential instruction. Born in Australia, he has lived much of his adult life in Indonesia, moving to Bali in the late 1970s as a tourism consultant and staying on. Today, he divides much of his time between a Jakarta apartment and a house in Yogyakarta, near his handicraft business, which is gradually coming back to life after a devastating 2006 earthquake. Wherever he is in the world, Purser loves to surround himself with friends, good food and wine, and a vast library.

Exercise
It's central to my life. Every morning I get up at 5 a.m. and power walk nine to 10 kilometers with dumbbells, and then swim for 45 minutes. That's about two-and-a-half hours of "full-on" exercise daily and I love it. Even if I come home at 3 a.m., which is rare, I still force myself to do it. Crazy, but it’s so addictive that if I don't do it, I feel lousy all day and filled with remorse.

Good food and wine
Ah, here's the catch! That is why the former is so important -- to try and balance the excesses of my "good living". Well, I am Libran after all, and one has to balance the other. I love good food and am happy eating it at simple warungs or so called 5-star restaurants. I love places that are honest – simple they may be, grand they may be also. In reverse, I abhor places that are pretentious (people also). Sadly, I don't understand the word moderation – if someone says try a taste of this and it’s delicious, I want to finish the lot, which is why I need all that exercise.

Varied living
This is simply an extension of the former -- a life of contrasts. My home base is a simple village called Tembi, outside of Yogyakarta – it’s rustic, it’s uncomplicated, it’s pure and a great source of inspiration. By contrast, my life in Jakarta, where I have a modern apartment, is totally different from living in the antique Joglo houses that comprise my village base. Sitting in between is my house in Bali -- part village, part cosmopolitan. Each is totally different but each works because it has the other to supplement it.

Art
I love Indonesian contemporary art and I am so happy that it has recently gained the international status it deserves and that young Indonesian artists are receiving worldwide acclaim. I started collecting Putu Sutawijaya, the artist foremost in this movement, 12 years ago and have quite a large collection. I didn't buy them for an investment. I bought them because I loved them -- it’s a bonus they have also turned out to be a good investment. Very soon I am opening a gallery in Tembi, together with two very experienced regional art consultants, to promote young Yogya artists. Proceeds from my side will go into the continual post- earthquake rebuilding of the village in which I live.

Reading
I used to be a quantitative rather than qualitative reader -- mainly because I found it impossible to sleep without first reading, but always the last pages before falling asleep were never given the attention good reading deserves, hence the quantitative aspect. It never did quite get to the Barbara Cartland or Jackie Collins level, although I know both because they have dined in my house in Bali. I wasn't brave enough when asked by them if I had read their books to answer in the negative. Being made senior patron of the Ubud Writers Festival has made me become far more selective in what I read.

Friendship
This is important, but again it should be qualitative not quantitative. The older you get the rarer it is to make a significant friendship, and that in retrospect is probably a good thing. Friendship for me is getting rid of all those protective shields we have and being completely oneself with the other person. That requires trust and understanding, qualities not so easy to find. I know a lot of people but actually think I am fortunate to be able to count my true friends on only two hands.

+Bruce Emond
Photos: Adi Wahono