On Wednesday, September 17, at 6 p.m., Muriel Pénicaud, former French Minister of Labor and Ambassador, will present her ideas and multifaceted work at the Hellenic American Union, under the general theme “The Shape of the Future.” This presentation is the fifth event in a series of Applied Greek-French Dialogues and is co-organized by the Hellenic American Union, Hellenic American University, CITRONNE Gallery, IOBE, and In Session Events.

Muriel Pénicaud is a multifaceted personality with a wide influence on the political and economic scene in France. Less well known is her involvement in photography, which has earned her international awards and distinctions. In the first part of the presentation, co-organized by the IOBE, Muriel Pénicaud will introduce the topic “The Future of Work” and will talk with Nikos Vetas, Director of the IOBE. This is an issue that concerns everyone: employees, freelancers, students, the unemployed, and retirees. With her extensive experience as Minister of Labor and Ambassador to the OECD, as well as a business executive, Muriel Pénicaud will thoroughly explain the major structural issues that are overturning everything we knew about the world of work: artificial intelligence, ecological transition, and demographic crisis. The event will be held in English.

Immediately afterwards, the exhibition of her photographs, “The Matrix of Worlds,” curated by art historian Dr. Tatiana Spinari Pollali, will be inaugurated. These photographs, artistic creations, are the result of Muriel Pénicaud’s numerous professional and personal travels around the world.

Matrix of Worlds is a “Register” of Humanity, which, however, does not simply record a visible reality, but attempts to reveal the hidden truth behind the first impression. It is inspired by the great photographer Henri Cartier Bresson and his perception that photography should “align the mind, the eye, and the heart.” That is why Muriel Pénicaud avoids stylized or staged shots and follows her own determined desire for “every viewer to become the narrator of their own story.” The “Register” reflects a personal visual journey. The wings of birds, human figures, recognizable or unknown landscapes, deep-rooted trees, and the bearers of the future are highlighted through the alternation of light and shadow and transformed into carriers of meaning with the viewer as the recipient. Her works have been exhibited in Paris, India, Senegal, Beijing, Tokyo, the United States, and Spain.

17 September– 8 October 2025 

Hatzikyriakos-Gikas Gallery of the Hellenic American Union (22 Massalias Street, Athens) Monday–Friday: 12:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m., Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Sunday closed

Admission Free