You know what? Finding information about people connected to public figures can sometimes feel like solving a puzzle. Maybe you’ve heard Zohran Mamdani’s name in the news lately. He just won the New York City mayoral race in November 2025.
And you’re probably curious about the woman beside him at his victory speech.
Here’s the thing. Rama Duwaji isn’t just “the mayor’s wife.” She’s a 28-year-old Syrian-American illustrator and ceramicist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and at the BBC. Her art has been making waves across New York City and beyond for years.
This article takes you through her background, creative work, and her role as New York City’s incoming First Lady. You’ll discover the story behind the artist with over 180,000 Instagram followers and learn what makes her unique.
Ready to learn more?
Key Takeaways
- Rama Duwaji is a Syrian-American artist married to Zohran Mamdani, who was elected Mayor of New York City on November 4, 2025.
- She was born on June 30, 1997, in Houston, Texas, and moved to Dubai at age nine before settling in New York City in 2021.
- Her illustrations have been featured by The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Vogue, Apple, Spotify, and Tate Modern.
- After earning her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2024, she was selected as one of 24 artists (from over 500 applicants) for a prestigious Catskill Mountains residency.
- She met Mamdani on the dating app Hinge in 2021, and they married in February 2025 at New York City Hall.
- Duwaji will become First Lady of New York City on January 1, 2026, making her the youngest first lady in the city’s history and the first member of Gen Z to hold the role.
Rama Duwaji’s Background and Career
Rama Sawaf Duwaji was born in Houston, Texas, to Syrian parents from Damascus. Her father works as a software developer, and her mother is a doctor. When she was nine, her family moved to Dubai, where she spent most of her childhood.
She describes drawing as her solace during those years. She would often get in trouble for doodling in her textbooks at school.
Who is Rama Duwaji as a Syrian-American illustrator and ceramicist?
Duwaji’s artistic journey started in the Gulf region and led her through multiple countries. She attended Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, first at the Qatar campus, then transferred to Richmond, Virginia, where she graduated with a BFA in Communication Arts in 2019.
After graduating, she participated in artist residencies in Beirut, Lebanon and Paris, France. In 2021, she moved to New York City to study at the School of Visual Arts.
She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Illustration as a Visual Essay in 2024. Her graduate thesis focused on making and sharing dishes as a communal act. Right after graduation, she was chosen as one of 24 artists for the Spruceton Inn artist residency in the Catskill Mountains from more than 500 applicants.
Today, she works as an illustrator, animator, and ceramicist based in Brooklyn. Her black-and-white drawings of women use expressive line work to explore themes like sisterhood, Arab identity, and political resistance.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, her work has been featured by major clients including Vogue, The New Yorker, the Tate Modern, The Washington Post, the BBC, Apple, Spotify, and Vice. Her Instagram account has grown to over 180,000 followers who connect with her culturally inspired art.
She teaches workshops on illustration, animation, and ceramics, sharing her skills with emerging artists across New York City.
One of her most celebrated recent projects for Vogue highlighted New York City’s garment workers. She illustrated a piece titled “The Cutter, the Sewer, and the Grommet Queen,” focusing on the unseen labor behind Fashion Week.
Duwaji creates art that sparks conversations about justice and representation.
Her work often centers on Middle Eastern experiences and women’s rights. She uses simple imagery, bold colors, and cultural patterns to address difficult topics like displacement, war, and identity.
In 2023, she created an illustration about the ongoing hunger crisis in Gaza that went viral online. She paired haunting visuals with donation links, raising both awareness and funds for relief efforts.
According to an April 2025 interview with YUNG magazine, Duwaji explained her approach: “My art stays a reflection of what’s happening around me, but right now, what feels even more useful than my role as an artist is my role as a U.S. citizen.”
She also illustrated a 2023 storyboard for The Washington Post about Reem Ahmed, a Palestinian architect who survived an Israeli strike after being trapped under rubble for 12 hours.
Her specific projects include:
- Editorial illustrations for major publications addressing humanitarian crises
- Animated pieces that highlight women’s experiences in the Middle East
- Ceramic plates featuring illustrated scenes of daily life and sisterhood
- Social media posts pairing art with calls to action for specific causes
In a 2019 interview with Shado Magazine, she stated, “The goal is to dismantle beauty conventions, but also it’s more about the individuals who interact with my work and their slow but steady growth as they see more unapologetic women of color in media.”
Her digital work “Yallah, Eat!” was exhibited at “The Book Show” at the School of Visual Arts in 2023. Her exhibitions have also appeared at P21 Gallery in London and the School of Visual Arts Chelsea Gallery in New York City in 2024.
Rama Duwaji’s Role as Zohran Mamdani’s Spouse
Rama Duwaji and Zohran Mamdani met on the dating app Hinge in 2021, just after Mamdani had been elected to the New York State Assembly. Their first date was at Qahwah House, a Yemeni coffee shop in Brooklyn, followed by a walk through McCarren Park.
Mamdani later joked on The Bulwark podcast, “There is still hope in those dating apps.”
How did Rama Duwaji support Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign?
Duwaji took a deliberately low-profile approach during the campaign. She didn’t give campaign speeches or agree to magazine profiles.
But behind the scenes, her influence was significant.
According to CNN, she helped finalize the campaign’s brand identity and worked on the final version of the campaign’s iconography and font. The design showcased a distinct blend of colors easily identifiable to New Yorkers: MetroCard orange-yellow, New York Mets blue for shadow drops and backgrounds, and splashes of firehouse red.
The font design called back to the bold yellow bodega signs seen across the city. Mamdani credited Duwaji with improving the campaign’s digital sensibilities, which helped attract younger voters.
She appeared at key moments during the race:
- She accompanied Mamdani to cast his primary vote early on June 24, 2025
- She joined him onstage when he delivered his victory speech after winning the Democratic primary
- She attended his appearance on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
- She sat in the crowd at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens when more than 10,000 people gathered for his closing rally with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders
On election day in November 2025, she posted a simple Instagram carousel with photobooth pictures, a voting-sticker selfie, and a childhood photo of her husband, captioned: “Couldn’t possibly be prouder.”
In his victory speech on November 4, 2025, Mamdani called her “hayati” (Arabic for “my life”) and said, “There is no one I would rather have by my side in this moment, and in every moment.”
What is Rama Duwaji’s role as New York City’s First Lady?
Duwaji will officially become First Lady of New York City on January 1, 2026, when Mamdani is sworn in as the 111th mayor. At 28 years old, she will be the youngest first lady in New York City’s history and the first member of Gen Z to assume the role.
Her specific duties haven’t been formally announced yet. The role of New York City’s First Lady is not an elected position and comes with no official job description.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, University at Albany SUNY lecturer Lauren Kozakiewicz noted that the position has evolved significantly: “For someone to have their own activist identity is really a nice 21st-century development. We haven’t really had many of those.”
Analysts suggest her tenure may focus on:
- Cultural impact and creative engagement with city communities
- Community arts programs and creative workshops
- Amplifying immigrant narratives and stories from underrepresented groups
- Youth engagement through art and visual storytelling
She has maintained a deliberately private approach to her public profile. She declined interview requests during the general election campaign, including from major news outlets.
The couple currently resides in Astoria, Queens, near Steinway Street in Mamdani’s legislative district. They got engaged in October 2024, held a private nikah ceremony in Dubai in December 2024, and married in a civil ceremony at New York City Hall in February 2025. They also celebrated with a ceremony in Uganda (Mamdani’s birth country) in July 2025.
Artistic Achievements and Recognition
Duwaji has built an impressive portfolio that spans multiple mediums and reaches international audiences. Her work bridges the personal and political, combining quiet moments of womanhood with the visual language of protest and social change.
What exhibitions and notable projects has Rama Duwaji been part of?
Her exhibition history includes several significant shows and residencies.
In 2024, her work appeared at the School of Visual Arts Chelsea Gallery (May 2-18, 2024) and at the School of Visual Arts Gramercy Gallery (December 6, 2023-January 13, 2024). Her work was also featured at P21 Gallery in London (May 30 – June 15, 2024).
She participated in artist residencies at:
- Heaven for Artists in Beirut, Lebanon
- A residency program in Paris, France
- Spruceton Inn in the Catskill Mountains, New York (2024), where she was selected from over 500 applicants
Her commissioned work includes:
- Illustrations for Vogue highlighting garment workers during Fashion Week
- Editorial work for The New Yorker on cultural and social justice topics
- A 2023 illustration storyboard for The Washington Post about a Gaza survivor
- Animation projects for Spotify and Apple
- Visual work featured at Tate Modern in London
In October 2025, while Mamdani debated Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa in the final mayoral debate, Duwaji was hosting a ceramics workshop at Huda, a new Levantine bistro in East Williamsburg.
She teaches workshops through organizations like It’s Nice That, where participants learn illustration, animation techniques, and ceramic plate-making. She continues running creative sessions across Brooklyn, mentoring emerging artists.
Her ceramics work focuses on handmade illustrated plates, typically in blue and white, that merge her digital art practice with traditional craft. These pieces often feature her signature illustrations of women and scenes celebrating community and sisterhood.
Takeaways
Rama Duwaji brings both artistic vision and cultural perspective to New York City. Her illustrations had sparked important conversations about identity, justice, and representation long before she stepped into the political spotlight.
As she prepares to become First Lady on January 1, 2026, she’s redefining what that role can look like for a new generation. She’s proven that you can support your partner’s political journey while maintaining your own creative identity and voice.
Her story shows how art and activism can intersect in powerful ways. Whether she’s teaching workshops in Brooklyn, creating commissioned work for major publications, or quietly shaping a campaign’s visual identity, she does it on her own terms.
New York City’s youngest first lady is writing her own script, one illustration at a time.
FAQs on Rama Duwaji
1. What does Rama Duwaji do for a living?
Rama Duwaji is a Syrian-American visual artist working as an illustrator, animator, and ceramicist whose art has been featured in The New Yorker and The Washington Post. Her work often explores themes of Arab culture, social justice, and identity, with clients including Apple, Spotify, and the Tate Modern.
2. Has Rama Duwaji participated in any artist residency programs?
Yes, she has completed several artist residency programs, including one in the Catskill Mountains, where she was one of 24 artists selected from over 500 applicants. She also participated in residencies in Beirut, Lebanon, at Haven for Artists, and in Paris, France.
3. How did Rama Duwaji and Zohran Mamdani meet?
They met on the dating app Hinge in 2021.
4. Does Rama Duwaji’s art influence Zohran Mamdani’s political work?
Yes, her artistic work and political voice are deeply intertwined with his mission, as she helped design his campaign’s recognizable visual identity and social media strategy. Her art, which often addresses social justice issues, aligns with the community-focused values of his political platform.
