COBALT ART ∑ Somia Naveed ("we", "us", or "our") operates this website and digital art archive. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the choices and rights you have. By using this website or contacting the studio, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
Who We Are
COBALT ART ∑ Somia Naveed is the data controller responsible for your personal information. If you have any question about this policy or how your information is handled, you can reach us at studio@cobaltart.com.
Information We Collect
We only collect information that helps us respond to you and run the gallery. This includes:
- Information you provide: your name, email address, telephone or WhatsApp number, and the contents of any message when you submit an inquiry, request a private viewing, ask about a commission, join a mailing list, or express interest in acquiring a work.
- Acquisition and commission details: the artwork concerned, your preferences, a shipping or delivery destination, and any notes you choose to share.
- Correspondence: a record of the emails, messages, and calls you exchange with the studio.
- Information collected automatically: your IP address, browser and device type, referring pages, and basic usage data, gathered through cookies and similar technologies when you visit the site.
How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- respond to your inquiries and arrange private viewings;
- discuss, prepare, and fulfil acquisitions, commissions, and the delivery of original or digital works;
- arrange payment by the agreed method and keep the records we need for accounting and tax;
- send occasional updates about new works, exhibitions, or availability — but only where you have asked to receive them;
- operate, maintain, secure, and improve this website; and
- comply with our legal obligations and protect our rights.
Payments and Acquisitions
No payment is taken directly through this website. Acquisitions, commissions, and digital purchases are confirmed personally by the studio, and payment is then arranged separately — for example by bank transfer or through a secure third-party channel. We do not collect or store card or bank-account numbers on this site. Any payment details you share with us are used only to complete the transaction you have agreed to.
Cookies and Analytics
This site uses a small number of cookies that are necessary for it to function, and may use privacy-respecting analytics to understand how the archive is used so we can improve it. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Declining non-essential cookies will not prevent you from browsing the archive.
Legal Bases for Processing
Where data-protection law such as the EU or UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases to process your information: your consent (for example, to receive studio updates); the performance of a contract or steps taken at your request (for acquisitions and commissions); our legitimate interests in operating and promoting the gallery; and compliance with our legal obligations.
How We Share Your Information
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only with:
- service providers who help us run the gallery — such as website hosting, database and file storage, email, and messaging providers — who process data on our behalf under appropriate safeguards;
- professional advisers, such as accountants, where this is necessary; and
- authorities or other third parties where we are required to do so by law or to establish, exercise, or defend our legal rights.
Third-Party Services
Some features of the site rely on third parties who maintain their own privacy policies, including our website host, our database and file-storage provider, and the messaging and social platforms we use, such as WhatsApp and Instagram. We encourage you to review their privacy policies when you interact with them.
International Transfers
The studio corresponds with collectors internationally, and some of our service providers may process information outside your country of residence. Where personal information is transferred across borders, we take reasonable steps to ensure it remains protected in line with applicable law.
Data Retention
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes set out above — typically for the duration of our correspondence and any resulting acquisition, and afterwards for the period required to meet our legal, accounting, and tax obligations. Information collected for studio updates is kept until you unsubscribe.
Data Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information against loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. No method of transmission over the internet or method of storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Your Privacy Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access the personal information we hold about you; to correct or delete it; to restrict or object to its processing; to request a copy in a portable format; and to withdraw your consent at any time. You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at studio@cobaltart.com and we will respond within the timeframe required by law.
Marketing Communications
We will only send you studio updates if you have asked to receive them. Every such message includes a way to unsubscribe, and you can opt out at any time by contacting us at studio@cobaltart.com.
Children's Privacy
This website is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can remove it.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version is indicated by the effective date shown on this page, and any material changes will be reflected here.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or about how your personal information is handled, please contact:
COBALT ART ∑ Somia Naveed
studio@cobaltart.com