Mark Chen centers his practice on photography, expanding it through creative writing, collaborating with musicians and artists in various media as he explores the intersection of art and science. He invents and repurposes tools as he pushes media boundaries, devising new processes that make possible the executions of his concepts. For his latest series Pilgrimage of Light  which explores the mysterious coexistence of the universe, Earth and people, Mark Chen travels to hard-to-reach wilderness to project galactic images, altering landscapes while he photographs them. The production of this series received a boost from his residency at Grand Canyon National Park in 2023 and 2024. This and his other series have been shown in events and venues such as Fotofest, Texas Biennial, Griffin Museum of Photography and Houston Center for Photography. Future exhibitions are planned by Mid America Art Alliance. 

Teaching is an integral part of Chen’s art practice. He has contributed innovative pedagogical methods to institutions such as Rice University, University of Houston and Houston Center for Photography, and in his book writing. Having eight book titles under his belt, the latest title Photography: A 21st Century Practice(Rutledge 2020), is a new photography classroom standard.