INĀRA GAUJA is a graduate of the Art Academy of Latvia. She has designed the sets and costumes for over 50 productions for the Latvian National Opera, the Latvian National Theatre, the Valmiera Drama Theatre, the Daugavpils Theatre, as well as for the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. She was formerly a designer for the Independent Youth Theatre Troupe, Head Designer for the Valmiera Drama Theatre, and teacher at the Riga Design School. She has worked with the directors Oļģerts Kroders and Fēlikss Deičs for many times, and her co-productions with Fēlikss Deičs Ninigra and Aligru and Trine’s Sins have received Latvian Theatre Prize.
From 2009 until 2015 she has been the Head of the Latvian National Opera Set Construction and Repair Department. At the Latvian National Opera she has made the set and costume design for such productions as Raymonda, Sounds of Music, Giselle, Coppélia, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, The Fountain of Bakhchisaray a. o.
She has also worked in design journalism, interior and fashion design and art education. She frequently participates in exhibitions in Latvia and abroad including two personal exhibitions in Latvia (2000, 2012) and participation in Prague Quadrennial (1995, 1999). Ināra Gauja was nominated for the Latvian Theatre Prize as Best Costume Designer for La Bayadère in 2011/2012.