On Thursday evening, artist Rama Duwaji, wife of socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, was seen conducting a ceramics class in a fashionable Brooklyn area—while her husband was engaged in the heat of the New York City mayoral debate. The debate featured sharp exchanges, including barbs directed at Mamdani by ex-Gov. Cuomo.
At just 28 years old, Duwaji opted to forgo the debate and spent her evening leading a ceramic tile design workshop at Huda, a trendy Levantine bistro located in East Williamsburg, as reported by The Post.
The ticketed event, priced at $95, commenced at 5 p.m. and wrapped up at 7:30 p.m.—just half an hour after Mamdani took the stage alongside Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa.
In the photos, Duwaji appears in black attire accented with gold jewelry, standing before a display of various underglaze combinations for painting ceramics.
The focus of the workshop was on “fruit iconography and damascene tile design,” allowing attendees to craft their own ceramic tiles to take home, according to the event’s details.
Meanwhile, across the East River, her 33-year-old husband faced pointed remarks from Cuomo and dodged challenging questions.
Duwaji was set to lead this Thursday class as part of a four-week workshop series featuring various artists, as per the restaurant’s Instagram schedule. It remains uncertain how long prior this had been planned compared to the debate’s timing.
In contrast, Sliwa’s spouse attended the debate at NBC’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza, while Cuomo is currently single.
Mamdani and Duwaji’s first encounter was on Hinge in 2021. Duwaji hails from Texas and is of Syrian descent, working as both a ceramist and illustrator, with recent works appearing in publications like New York Magazine.
The couple celebrated their marriage this past July, hosting a lavish wedding after four years of courtship. After their wedding, they now reside together in Astoria, Queens, in a rent-stabilized apartment.
