Jennie Kraehling of the Michael Gibson Gallery poses with a Christine Kirouac painting titled Amputee. The painting was among pieces lent to homeowners and businesspeople as part of a new program offered by the gallery. (MIKE HENSEN, LFP)

Michael Gibson Gallery, 157 Carling St., till April 1

We're always taking risks in our lives -- changing careers, deciding to have children, buying a house, investing our money.

When we get home at the end of the day, though, we want comfort. Even in the pieces of art we choose, solace is key. But a new program offered through the Michael Gibson Gallery asked homeowners and some businesses to "take risks" with art work.

A dozen London collectors were asked to hang art chosen by the gallery in their homes and offices.

"Our goal was to find a work of art that was outside of their normal comfort zone that we knew would work in their space," said gallery assistant Jennie Kraehling.

"We thought it would be interesting to bring a work of art into a home and get them to talk about. We're encouraging people to talk about art in London."

Kraehling took before-and-after photographs of the spaces where the art hung and posted them on the gallery website (www.gibsongallery.com).

Kraehling also interviewed the clients and posted their comments on the site.

Not everyone loved the art they were assigned, but it was clear each made its borrower think outside the box.

The public can view the pieces, which include the work of London artists Roly Fenwick and Christine Kirouac and Robert Cadotte of Delhi at the gallery until April 1.

Here are some comments made by the collectors:

Christine Kirouac, Amputee: Oil on Canvas, 2005

Joel Faflak

"Completely alien and de-familiarizing. It's frustrating and confusing because clearly it's supposed to be something. So it's somewhere between representation's meaning and abstraction's senselessness, but you can't tell which."

Dominique Rey, Selling Venus: DVD 16:10 minutes

Marco and Sandra Balestrin

"Rey's Selling Venus, a series of interviews with the dancers of a strip club, was fascinating. The women looking in the mirror and putting on their make-up before the show allows us to see them as individuals. Keeping the same camera angle and shooting into the mirror meant that all the women were treated alike. We collect, for the most part, art that can be hung on walls. Video is a medium we haven't really explored and certainly haven't collected."

Suzie Smith, Action Figure - Frida Kahlo: Silkscreen on Fabric, 2005

Melanie Townsend

"When my giftwrapped package arrived . . . it came as a delightful surprise. I was expecting a painting, but instead received a cute, clever and funny work. The implications of this doll as an art souvenir still has me a bit unsettled. I don't know what to think about it. I like that."