Rama Duwaji, born in Houston, Texas in 1997 to Syrian Muslim parents from Damascus, had an international upbringing that shaped her worldview. Her family moved to Dubai when she was nine, giving her first-hand experience with diverse cultures across the Arab world before she later settled in the United States for higher education.
Academic journey and artistic calling
Duwaji showed creative talent from an early age, keeping sketchbooks and comics during her childhood. She pursued communication arts at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, initially attending the satellite campus in Doha, Qatar, before completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts cum laude in Richmond, Virginia. Rama later earned a Master of Fine Arts in Illustration as Visual Essay at the School of Visual Arts in New York, marking the start of her professional journey as a prolific illustrator.
Rising as a renowned artist
Rama Duwaji is now based in Brooklyn, NYC, and is known for evocative illustrations, animation, ceramics, and graphic novels focusing on Arab culture, female empowerment, and communal healing. Her work has been published by outlets such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple, Spotify, VICE, Cartier, and Tate Modern, and exhibited in international galleries. Her distinctive style combines drawn portraiture, narrative movement, and hand-built ceramics to examine the nuances of sisterhood, Middle Eastern identity, mental health, and social justice.
A private romance and political partnership
Rama met Zohran Mamdani, the Indian-origin politician, on the dating app Hinge- a relationship that grew quietly behind the scenes. They married in a private rooftop ceremony in Dubai in December 2024, followed by a civil wedding in New York City in early 2025. While Mamdani’s high-profile mayoral campaign pushed him into the spotlight, Duwaji played a crucial but understated role, designing his campaign’s brand identity with its distinctive bold colors, managing visual strategy, and amplifying his online presence. Despite her pivotal role, she remained intentionally out of the public eye, described as 'aloof' by some press outlets.
Making her mark as 'First Lady'
With Mamdani’s rise to become New York City’s first Muslim mayor, Duwaji steps into the role of First Lady with a devoted online following- her Instagram crossing 200,000 followers following Mamdani’s campaign. Her artwork, which often highlights Middle Eastern women and political struggles, including pro-Palestinian themes, has been featured in major publications, and she uses her platform to reflect her times and her roots.
Rama Duwaji is not just the spouse of a groundbreaking mayor- she is an accomplished artist whose talent, intellect, and cultural insight have shaped both a creative legacy and a pivotal role in one of America’s most-watched political waves. As First Lady of NYC, she is poised to inspire a new era of representation, empathy, and intersectional creativity.
