Getty ImagesRama Duwaji, a 27-year-old artist and animator, has been thrust into the spotlight as her husband Zohran Mamdani this week became the likely Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City.
Ms Duwaji is a New York-based artist with Syrian roots whose work often explores Middle Eastern themes. Her work has appeared on BBC News, and in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vice and London’s Tate Modern museum.
“Rama isn’t just my wife; she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms,” Mamdani wrote in a post on 12 May, announcing they had been married three months earlier.
“Omg she’s real,” Ms Duwaji joked in a comment on that post.
Ms Duwaji was rarely seen during her husband’s primary election campaign to lead the most populous US city, leading opponents to claim that the 33-year-old state assemblyman was “hiding” his wife.
Her absence was notable, given that US candidates often put their spouses on full display to show off their commitment to family values.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, declared a stunning victory in the Democratic party’s primary on Tuesday, defeating his main rival and political veteran Andrew Cuomo who previously served as state governor.
Mamdani addressed the criticism over his wife’s absence in his May post, which included a series of photos showing their marriage at the New York City Clerk’s office.
“If you take a look at Twitter today, or any day for that matter, you know how vicious politics can be,” he wrote.
“I usually brush it off, whether it’s death threats or calls for me to be deported. But it’s different when it’s about those you love…. You can critique my views, but not my family.”
After results from the Democratic primary came in earlier this week, she took to her own Instagram page to post black-and-white photos of the couple embracing with the caption “couldn’t possibly be prouder”.
The couple met on dating app Hinge, “so there is still hope in those dating apps,” the candidate said in an interview for The Bulwark last week.
“Before their civil ceremony in New York City, Zohran and his wife celebrated their engagement in Dubai last year – where her family lives – with a small, joyful ceremony surrounded by their loved ones,” the Mamdani campaign said in a statement.
Photos posted by a florist in Dubai showed the Dubai city skyline in the background, as the couple stood on the rooftop where they held a traditional Islamic wedding ceremony known as a nikah.
Ms Duwaji graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University before earning a master’s degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
“Using drawn portraiture and movement, Rama examines the nuances of sisterhood and communal experiences,” Ms Duwaji’s professional website reads.
Much of her work is in black and white, and depicts scenes from the Arab world. Ms Duwaji herself was born in Texas and is ethnically Syrian, a campaign spokesman told the New York Times on Wednesday.
In 2022, her works appeared in the BBC World Service documentary “Who killed my grandfather” that investigated the assassination of a Yemeni politician in 1974.
Some of her works listed on Instagram criticise “American imperialism,” what she called Israeli war crimes and denounce the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians, mirroring some of her husband’s policy positions. Israel emphatically denies accusations of genocide in Gaza.
Her works also show support for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate that the Trump administration is seeking to deport over claims that his work advocating for Palestinians amounts to “antisemitism” towards Jews.
The Brooklyn-based artist spent most of the coronavirus pandemic in Dubai, where her family lives, she said in an April interview with website YUNG.
In that interview, she was asked about recent events in the Middle East, the return to the White House of Donald Trump and sharp uptick in immigration raids.
“I’m not going to lie, things are dark right now in NYC. I worry for my friends and family, and things feel completely out of my hands,” she said.
“With so many people being pushed out and silenced by fear, all I can do is use my voice to speak out about what’s happening in the US and Palestine and Syria as much as I can,” she added.
She was also asked about the responsibly that artists have to speak out about global issues.
“An artist’s duty as far as I’m concerned is to reflect the times,” she said, quoting musician Nina Simone.
“I believe everyone has a responsibility to speak out against injustice, and art has such an ability to spread it,” she continued.
“I don’t think everybody has to make political work, but art is inherently political in how it’s made, funded, and shared. Even creating art as a refuge from the horrors we see is political to me. It’s a reaction to the world around us.”
